The Legend of Rei
by bdsimmer
Summary: Rei was raised in a small Earth Kingdom village, a part of the many families with loved ones at war. When she is visited by a mysterious spirit in her dreams, her whole life is changed as she realizes her powers as an airbender. Now she must forge her own destiny and join the many others to fight the fire nation and to restore balance to the world.
1. Chapter 1 - Inner Strength

"Rei…"

The faint, female voice resonated towards the teenage girl laying on the ground. Rei groaned and opened her eyes to see the canopy of a serene forest. The tall pines loomed over her, the atmosphere illuminated by vibrant solar rays. Rei leaned upwards into a sitting position, sending settled pine needles falling off her body, and scanned around for the source of the voice.

"Hello?" She called out. "Is anyone there?"

Rei gazed around her to see tall pines surrounding her. The sunlight poured in through holes in the canopy, giving the forest an ethereal feeling. The air seemed to be charged around her, but oddly quiet. There was no sounds of birds chirping, no insects nor any wind. It wasn't an ominous silence, but it established more of a peaceful aura. She then noticed a faint blue light emanating from a clearing to her left. The young girl got up to her feet and started slowly towards the pale blue light.

The clearing led to a small water fall emptying into a small pool of water, emanating a faint blue hue. Rei inched closer to the pool, feeling its drawing power pulling her closer. She could hear faint whispers in the air calling her name. She reached the pool's edge and peered in.

The image that reflected back to Rei was not herself, but the image of an unknown young woman. The woman's long, white hair tumbled down her shoulder in twirls, seemingly to blow in an absent breeze. Her ivory skin shone and twinkled, emanating a faint blue glow onto her wispy, white robe. Rei was mesmerized, unable to look away from the mysterious woman. The woman's eyes suddenly snapped open, revealing her bright, blue eyes.

"Rei…" The woman spoke softly.

"How…How do you know my name?" Rei stammered.

"You must unlock your inner strength." The woman rasped. The glow around her began to get brighter, replacing its blue hue with a bright white illumination.

"What do you mean?" Rei gasped, shielding her eyes from the blinding light.

"Look deep into yourself…" The woman whispered, her voice getting further and further away. "Use your inner strength…"

Rei did not have time to respond to the woman's mysterious message before her entire field of vision whited out.

The sun poured in through a hole in the tattered curtain on the small room's window, landing directly on the young girl's face. Letting out a low groan, Rei awoke and slowly opened her eyes. It was a bright, sunny day in the small earth kingdom village of Terra, but Rei was not ready to enjoy the day just yet. "Just five more minutes…"She groaned as she rolled over to her side. Her nap was cut short when she heard her bedroom door open.

"Rei, it's time to get up." A female voice called out. "We have to get a lot done today."

"Mother…Please just five more minutes." Rei complained.

The woman chuckled. "I've already given you enough time to lay in bed. You have a lot of chores to do before heading out to the market later today." The woman walked across the room and folded back the tattered curtains on the window, sending a flood of sunlight into the room.

Rei let out yet another groan as she reached for a pillow to block out the sun's rays.

"Now don't go back to sleep, young lady." The woman says sternly. "Your little sister is already outside doing her chores, so you should be out there too!"

"Mom, Mayu's six." She groaned underneath her pillow. "The only chore she does is chasing the turkeyducks."

"Well at least she's out doing something, unlike a certain 16 year-old I know." She scowled. "Now come on, let's get going."

When her mother finally exits the room, Rei slowly gets up from her bed. She stretches out her arms wide and lets out a big yawn. She sluggishly throws her blanket off of her legs and slings her legs over the side of the bed. She walks over to the wash basin and mirror in the corner of her room. Gazing up at the mirror, she could tell that today was going to be a bad hair day. Her long, brown hair was as puffed up as porkubear's spikes. Her dark blue eyes looked droopy and encrusted in sandman's dust, which she begins to rub instinctively. She knew that brushing her hair would do little to tame it today, so she decided to tie up a portion of her hair with her signature earth-kingdom ribbon to create a half-up, half-down style. She contemplated the mysterious message the woman from her dream told her, but brushed it off. It wasn't the first time that the young woman appeared to her in her dreams, stating riddles and other unclear messages. Nothing has come out of those dreams, so she figured that they were exhaustion-induced dreams. After washing her face, she instinctively put on her boulder opal necklace. She fingered the necklace gingerly, thinking back to the person who gave it to her. "I hope you're ok somewhere, father." She muttered.

It's been over two years since her father went off to join the war against the fire nation. He originally set off with a platoon of earth bender resistance members, but a messenger came by a few months past to notify us that he's been M.I.A. Rei remembers that day well, where her mother couldn't stop crying for days. It's been hard on the whole family, but even harder on her older brother, Lee.

Rei sighed. Being the only other earth bender in the family, her older brother always felt the urge to be the "responsible one", or the "protective one". To her, it only meant him running off to join the war efforts, following in their father's footsteps to disappear with him. Their mother begged him not to go, but he had made up his mind. He had to do everything he could to protect them and their country as well as search for their father, which apparently meant abandoning them. Rei shook her head. It wasn't the time to think about those things. Now SHE had to be the responsible one; doing chores and looking out for her sister, Mayu. She took one last look in the mirror and headed out of her room. She took a piece of fruit in passing by the kitchen, and sauntered out of the house.

The sun was blinding at first, but after a brief moment to adjust Rei could see that it was a beautiful day outside. Her house stood at the side of the main road, amongst other rows of houses. The village elder's hut is found at the top of the village, at the end of the road. It wasn't much more extravagant than the rest of the village, which reflected the elder's aim for equality for the entire village. The sun was shining, the turkeyducks were quacking and children were running around the village. It didn't take long before a group of children ran over to greet her, amongst them would be her little sister Mayu.

"Rei! Rei!" Mayu cried out, flinging out her arms for a hug.

Rei laughed and picked up the small child into her arms. "How's my little sister doing? Are you having fun?" She said, tucking a stay piece of the child's dark brown hair from her face.

"Yes! We played with Mr. Quabbles until he got really mad." Mr. Quabbles was the oldest turkeyduck in the village. He always seemed to sneer at people in passing. He's such a weird animal.

"Alright, well I need to do some chores now. Go run along." Rei said while placing Mayu back on the ground.

"Awe, but don't you wanna play sentry with us?" One of the children pipped up.

Rei turned her gaze to a young boy roughly 8 years old. His name was Ling, and always wanted to play sentry or soldier or anything else like it. He felt that by playing those games, he was pitching in on the war effort, or something like that. His father joined the resistance as well, but he died during one of the first battles. The poor boy was waiting at the village gate every day for months waiting for his father who never came home. Rei assumes that Ling plays sentry so much hoping that he would see his father marching back in the horizon. She tries to play with the kids as often as she can, but today it'll have to wait until after her chores.

"Sorry Ling, I can't today. Maybe later." She replied.

Rei set off to start her many chores. There were turkeyducks and ostrich horses to feed, eggs to collect, hay to roll up, and all sorts of tedious things. She toiled all day, all the while avoiding the path of Mr. Quabbles. Passerby's said hello throughout the day, all on their way to their respective chores or out to sell their wares in the market. The toiling sun rose higher and higher into the midday sky, bearing down on Rei as she worked. After a few hours, Rei was finally finished with her chores. Before she had the chance to even sit down, her mother was moving towards her with a list and the reins to the family ostrich horse in hand.

"Now that you finished those chores, here's the list of things we need at the market today." She said while handing the list and reins to Rei. "There's money in our ostrich horse's saddle, which is all ready for you. Now be sure not to dally or make a scene like last time!"

"Hey that jerk had it coming, taking all of the bread! And besides, it's me you're talking about," She smirked sarcastically. "I'll be a ghost."

 **Hi everybody! So this is my first story ever, and I've been a fan of Avatar since for-EVER. I hope that you all enjoyed the first chapter! Hopefully I set the scene efficiently enough. I'd love to hear your opinions and constructive criticism is always welcome! We're all here to develop our creative writing skills, right? XD I'll try to set up a weekly update for this, but P.S. I am a student here sooo, sorry in advance if I'm late. Love you all and plz review! :)**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Incident

The marketplace was bustling as usual. People were rushing about trying to get the best prices, and merchants were yelling out what deals were on or what they were selling. There was a very eccentric cabbage merchant in particular that Rei noticed. Overall, not one of Rei's favourite hotspots. There were just too many people about, bumping into each other and invading her personal bubble. She couldn't wait to be in and out of that place.

Rei looked over the list her mother gave her. Just a few simple things were needed, then again they could only afford the simple things with both of the men gone. She planned her route accordingly to make the most out of her time and set off.

After buying the previous items, Rei was finally on the last thing on the list; a birthday gift for Mayu. There wasn't too much money to spare, but she was going to do her best to get the best gift she could find. They didn't have too much to celebrate nowadays, so they had to make birthdays special.

Rei made her way down the street, stealing quick glances at the adjacent shops. A small cart on the side of the road caught her eye, filled with small trinkets. She started to ponder through the wares when a short, elderly gentleman came up beside her and asked "Looking for anything in particular, miss?"

"Oh, just something for my little sister's birthday." She replied.

"Well, if you're interested, I have a fine stuffed saber toothed moose lion doll perfect for any little girl." The elderly man smiled and reached underneath his cart and pulled out a cute little doll.

"That would be perfect!" Rei exclaimed. "I'll take it."

They exchanged wares, and as the old man hands her the doll, he smiles and says, "Wish your sister a happy birthday from me now, won't you?"

Rei smiles back, "Thank you, I will."

Rei, being fully satisfied with her shopping, made her way back to her ostrich horse and loaded the doll gingerly into her satchel. She hoped that Mayu would like the doll, she's never seen a saber toothed moose lion before, so maybe this would spark her imagination when playing with the other children. She smiles as she finishes securing her wares onto the ostrich horse, but a raised voice catches her attention. She turned towards its source, which turns out to be the elderly man's cart.

"Hey old man! Where's our protection money?" A man shouted.

"I-I'm sorry sir, business has been slow. I don't have it!" The elderly merchant stuttered.

Rei saw a gang of three burly men in fire nation colours looming over the old man's cart. The leader, a tall brute, was holding the old man by the collar of his shirt.

"Well, if we aren't paid, I cannot guarantee your cart's safety. Or yours, might I add." The leader grunted menacingly, bending flame in his opposite hand.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Rei yelled as she started her way towards the gang.

The three men looked over towards Rei, and laughed. "If you were smart, girl, you would walk away." The leader sneered as he directed his attention back to the old man.

"I said, leave him alone."

The brute shoved the old man to the side and stomped towards Rei. He towered over her, almost a full foot taller than her! He leaned down and asked, "What are you going to do if I don't?"

"I'll make you sorry." Rei hissed.

"Maybe little girls should be taught to hold their tongues." He sneered as he reached out his hand towards her.

"Don't touch me!" Rei exclaimed.

"Or what?" The man laughed.

The man reached out and grabbed Rei. She struggled with all her might, flailing her arms with her eyes closed and screaming at the top of her lungs. The three men were laughing menacingly as they proceeded to push her to the side. She then heard a familiar voice, so faint that she could barely hear it.

"Rei…"

She heard someone call her name, like a faint whisper in the wind. It was barely audible, but the voice was familiar.

"Use your inner strength…"

It was the same voice from her dreams! She was shocked, but Rei didn't have time to contemplate this, with the men closing in on her. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. She put herself in a strong stance, which she learned by studying her brother and father earthbending. She focused all of her available strength and with all her might, she pushed the man as hard as she could away from her. All of a sudden, she didn't feel the man's hand on her anymore. She opened her eyes and say that the man was face-first into the ground at least 10 feet away from her, his rump facing towards the sky and with a layer of dust on him. She stared at her hands for a moment, not sure what had happened. Sure, she pushed him but she doubted that she could have pushed him that hard. Even a strong man couldn't have pushed him that far with a simple push forward. She pondered these thoughts, until the man started to get up. She ran to her ostrich horse and took off as fast as she could, not daring to look back at the shouting men behind her.

When she returned home, Rei was too shocked to immediately get off the ostrich horse. She sat with her market goods in the village's stables for a few moments in the rays of the setting sun before even considering getting off. She slid off the animal in a slow motion, not fully taking in how stiff she became until her feet hit the ground. She trudged towards her house in a daze. _What in the world happened?_ She thought to herself. How did she send that man flying off his feet? Did she do some sort of bending? She's never been able to earthbend like her brother or father, so why would she start now? _But it wasn't earthbending,_ she thought. That was true; the earth was not disturbed at all other than a little bit of dirt. The man was just covered in dust as if…

"Rei, do you have the things from the market?" Rei's thoughts were interrupted by her mother, standing in the doorway of the house.

"Oh yeah…Here you are mom." Rei replied absently, handing the bag of goods over to her mother.

"Rei, is there something wrong?" Her mother asked, concerned. "Something seems off about you."

"I-Its nothing, mom. I'm fine." She stammered. "I'm just going to go to bed."

"Without supper?" Her mother asked, surprised. "Are you sure everything's ok, sweetie?"

"I told you I'm fine, mother." Rei snapped. "I'm just tired, is all. I'll see you in the morning."

"Oh, ok honey." She replied, her voice still laced with worry.

Rei quickly slipped past her mother and into her room, closing the door behind her. She let her hair down and fell into her bed. She stared at the ceiling, unsure how to process the events of the day. She could hear Mayu in the kitchen, asking where Rei was and why she wasn't having supper. Rei felt a bit bad for not saying goodnight to her sister and for snapping at her mother, but they couldn't understand how she felt at this moment. No one could understand.

 _No one except for the woman in my dreams_ , she thought.

She turned onto her side and tried to get comfortable enough for sleep to take her. If anyone could explain to her what happened, that woman can. She tried to relax, not letting her head fill with more buzzing thoughts. After what seemed like hours, Rei found herself in the familiar serene forest.

She immediately set forth, walking briskly about the forest. All she could see were long stretches of trees, now set into the darkness of night with fireflies providing the only source of light.

"Where are you?" Rei cried out into the darkness. "I don't understand!"

"Rei…" The faint blue glow emerged at the left end of her peripheral vision, inviting her to approach.

Rei ran up towards the light, seeing the woman floating above the pool of water. Her pale hair floated gently around her face. Her robe also floated carelessly in an absent wind, gently caressing her skin. Her pale blue eyes gaze towards Rei, though no significant emotion reflected through those eyes.

"What happened at the marketplace?" She demanded. "I heard your voice, and I pushed him and then he was on the ground and…"

"My child, you must calm down and look deep within yourself." The woman replied calmly.

"What the fuck does that even mean!?" Rei shouted. "I want answers! No more riddles!"

Rei stepped closer to the woman. "Who are you, even? Why are you here?"

"I am who you need me to be," The woman replied. "I am a guardian, a friend, a voice of wisdom. I have been called by many names, but you may call me Sora."

"What, are you my conscience or something?" Rei retorted. "I didn't ask for a guardian to send me cryptic messages in my sleep!"

Sora chuckled. "That is usually one of the primary functions of a spirit, Rei."

"Spirit?" Rei questioned. "So, you're a spirit? One of those floaty people that lives in the spirit world?"

Sora nodded.

"But, what does that have to do with what happened? What did I do?" Rei asked.

"You tapped into your inner strength." Sora explained. "You drew from the well of power that lay dormant inside you."

"But WHAT did I do?" Rei shouted. "I don't understand."

"I believe you already know the answer to your question, my child." Sora sighed. "You are just afraid to admit it to yourself."

"But it's impossible." Rei insisted. "My family are of the earth kingdom. There is no way that I…"

Rei stood in shock, unable to process this thought for a moment. She drew a shaky breath before saying the words out loud.

"I'm an airbender."

 **Yay chapter 2 is now up and running! I kinda had a little bit of trouble writing the dreamworld part, it's hard getting the atmosphere established! Hope everyone liked it! My reading week is coming to an end, but I'll keep giving weekly updates. Maybe even sooner if I get some comments/reviews :) Have a great week lovelies, and stay tuned for more adventures in the Legend of Rei!**


	3. Chapter 3 - The Invasion

Rei awoke, with the same ray of sunlight shining through her tattered curtains. She rose up to a sitting position and rubbed her eyes instinctively. The events of the previous night's dream still buzzed in her head. She was an airbender. This was fact. But what was she to do with these new powers? How was she supposed to shape her own destiny if she hasn't the slightest idea how to start?

 _What am I going to tell my mother?_ She thought to herself.

Just the thought of telling others about her "gift" frightens her. How could she even practice without raising suspicion? If any fire nation soldiers caught wind of a lone airbender in an Earth kingdom village, she could kiss her life and family goodbye. Her family has already lost two members to the war efforts, she couldn't bear leaving Mayu and her mother all alone.

 _Mayu…_ She couldn't imagine leaving that little girl without any siblings. Her absence would force the little one to grow up quick to help out with chores. No more chasing turkeyducks, no more playing sentry with Ling.

 _Wait a minute…_ She thought. _Mayu…_ She then jolted out of bed in surprise.

"It's Mayu's birthday today!" She cried.

She rushed to her dresser and reached for the first bit of clothing she could find. She still had on her necklace from the other day, which whipped from side to side as she rushed about, getting ready for the day. She splashed her face with water in her water basin and rapidly tying her hair back into a loose sidebraid. She sprinted out of her room and right into her mother in the kitchen.

"Rei!" She cried. The two of them tumbled onto the ground with a thud.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry mom! I didn't see you there I swear!" Rei replied, quickly rolling off her mother and helping each other up.

"Well, you're in a better mood than last night." She replied, brushing dust off of her skirt. "What's gotten you in such a rush?"

"I wanted to see if Mayu was up yet. Is she still in bed?" She inquired.

"Oh no, she's out by the village boundaries with Ling." Her mother replied, gesturing out the kitchen window to the village gates. "If you'd like, you can join them. Just be sure to give me enough time to get the decorations up for Mayu's party! It is her birthday today."

"Thanks mom," Rei said, reaching for two pieces of fruit in the bowl on the kitchen table.

"Oh and don't forget to give your sister her present!" Her mother reached into a cupboard and took out the plush saber-toothed mooselion and a small gift bag. "I think it would mean the world to her to get her present from her big sister." She said with a warm grin.

Rei took the plush took gingerly into her hands, looking into its black, button eyes. She hesitated putting the toy into the small bag.

"Mom…" She hesitated.

"Yeah sweetie, what is it?"

Rei looked up at her mother, who was smiling warmly at her. She looked so happy, so excited for Mayu's birthday. She couldn't bear to tell her mother her secret, making her worry and ruining such a happy occasion. She pushed her emotions aside, put on a smile and said, "We'll be home in time for supper."

Rei stuffed the toy into the gift bag and made her way towards the village's boundaries. The village was protected by a small fence. The fence itself was worn-down since all the men weren't around to fix the darn thing when they all went to go play war. The white paint had long since weathered away, leaving only a distant memory of what once was. Rei could make out Mayu and Ling playing near the town gates.

"Rei!" Mayu exclaimed, seeing her sister climbing up the hill to see her.

"Whoa! Don't ambush me, Mayu! I'm not fire nation!" She retorted.

"Of course you aren't fire nation!" Ling sprang up, his brown eyes fierce with determination. "If you were, I would've known and warned everyone before you got here!"

Ling stood at the highest peak of the village boundary; a hill overlooking the forest valley below. He held a thin evergreen branch that stood slightly taller than his height, acting as a makeshift spear. He stood proudly overlooking the valley. Mayu buzzed around him, full of excitement.

Rei laughed and made her way towards the boy with Mayu.

"Anything to report, soldier?" Rei asked.

"Nothing yet! But if anything comes, we'll be ready!" Ling exclaimed.

It was nice to see little kids playing and smiling. It's painful to grow up in a time of war, where kids are expected to grow up faster. They were lucky to live in a small village since the fire nation soldiers hardly ever passed through. They didn't have a reason to pass through anyways, since they were basically in the middle of nowhere.

"Watcha got there?" Mayu asked, taking Rei away from her thoughts.

"Oh this?" She asked, holding up the gift bag. "I dunno if you'd be interested. Do you really wanna know?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I wanna know! I wanna know!" She cried, jumping up and down trying to get the bag from Rei.

"Ok, let's see what it is!" Rei stooped down and gave the bag to Mayu.

Mayu eagerly peered into the bag and removed the pages of paper disguising the gift. When she pulled the plush toy out of the bag, her eyes lit up.

"A saber-toothed moose lion! I never saw one before!" She exclaimed. She hugged the plush toy tightly. "It's so soft!"

Rei chuckled. "I thought you'd like it."

Mayu jerked forward and hugged Rei tightly, resting her head on her stomach. "Thank you Rei! I love you so much!"

Rei stroked Mayu's short, bob of hair with much affection. "I love you too, Mayu."

Mayu flashed her a big grin and ran back to Ling, eagerly showing off her new toy. Rei watched the two kids playing, somewhat envious of their childish freedom. She wish she could just forget all the problems in her world and play out in the field. But those days are over.

The wind picked up around her, caressing her skin and lifting her stray hairs. It was a warm breeze, sweet with floral and forest smells. Rei closed her eyes and took a deep breath. For the first time in her life, she could feel that the air is alive with the motions and sounds of those around her. She could hear Mayu and Ling's laughter, the bustling of the village, smell the surrounding pine trees. Some pine needles and flower petals swirled around in the breeze. Rei stared at the dancing display, wondering about her abilities. She reached out her hand and focused on the flower petals. They continued to dance wildly, changing directions uncontrollably. She squints and swirls her hand in a circular motion. The petals slowly start to follow her hand motions. Rei smiled, letting her hand motions get more complex with zig-zags and figure eights. She was pulled from her focus by a tug on her shirt.

"Yes Mayu, what is it?" Rei asked, looking down at her sister.

"Rei, who are those people?" Mayu asked, pointing off into the distance.

Rei squinted her eyes in attempts of getting a better view of what Mayu was talking about. She could make out a dark group of people marching towards them. Clad in steel, with spikes and distinctive red military uniforms, the identity of these figures was unmistakeable.

"Fire nation soldiers." Rei said in horror.

And they weren't any regular fire nation soldiers. There was a whole platoon of them; some riding their komono rhinos, others marching behind with the fire nation banner held high. They were fierce, different than any that she's encountered before. This couldn't be some random squadron passing through. Whatever their reason of being there, they are meaning to make it a show of power. This can't be good.

Rei picked Mayu up and gestured to Ling to follow her. They came sprinting back to their respected houses. When their mother saw Rei and Mayu running towards the house, she ran out to meet them with distinct worry in her eyes.

"Rei, what's the matter?" She rushed.

"Mom, get Mayu into the house. Fire nation soldiers are coming. And there's a lot of them."

The mother's face lost its color and rushed Mayu into the house, as Rei waited out front for the soldier's arrival with the other villagers. The soldiers' entry to the village was terrifying, stomping around in-sync on those grotesque komono rhinos with footmen marching in behind, holding razor-sharp spears with the distinct fire nation insignia. The fire nation sure liked everything to be pointy it seems, with tri-pointed helmets and spiked armour on every soldier. The man at the head of the company was the most terrifying of them all. He had a rugged look, wearing his hair in a traditional fire nation military style and mutton chops. Hell, even his mutton chops were pointed. He had a permanent scowl on his face, which scanned every person's face including Rei's. His gaze lingered on her for a moment, before he continued to the center of the village. The village elder came to greet the soldiers.

"This is a surprise to be visited by the great Captain Zhao." He started, respectfully bowing his head in greeting. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Zhao….The name seemed so familiar to her. She vaguely remembered her father talking about someone named Zhao. From what she could remember, he was described as a ruthless and cruel man. His presence in the village meant there was something very wrong.

"It's _Commander_ Zhao, and there is nothing pleasurable about visiting this pathetic excuse for a village." Zhao sneered. He pushed past the elder on his mount and began to address the crowd amassing around him.

"There has been disturbing reports that have come to my attention." He boomed. "There has been an incident where someone reported seeing someone AIRBEND."

A hushed gasp spread amongst the crowd, and Rei forgot how to breathe. How could they know that already? Could word have spread so quickly? She glanced back at her mother standing outside her house, who had lost all color to her face.

Zhao turned his cold gaze upon each individual face in the crowd. "I have also traced this bender to this village. Now I will only ask this once…Who is it?"

Villagers looked back and forth at one another, plainly scared out of their wits and wondering who this airbender could be. Rei tried to sink deeper into the crowd, and away from admiral Zhao's icy gaze.

Zhao scowled at the lack of answers he was getting. He snapped his fingers and a set of soldiers advanced towards the crowd. The villagers huddled closer together and backed away from the advancing soldiers.

"Fine. If this _airbender_ wants to hide, so be it." Zhao growled. "Burn them out."

With that, the soldiers began to set the town ablaze. Firebenders moved forward in lines and sprayed streams of fire onto houses and hay bales. Villagers started screaming and running in every direction, mothers grabbing crying children from the streets to shield them from the flames and others just fleeing in any direction away from the firebenders' rage. Soldiers began breaking down doors to adjacent houses, tearing the places apart whilst sending more flames into the night. The fire consumed everything in its path, its hunger unsatisfied no matter how much it destroys. Bright orange flames filled the streets. From a distance the flames seemed to be dancing, flickering in the wind. But in reality, the flames were performing a dance of death and destruction while sending black smoke into the air. The smell of burning hay and soot filled the air, clogging Rei's nose and blurring her vision. She watched in horror as all that she knew and came to love was being taken away, her life burning to cinders. All the while Zhao just sat on his mount, watching lazily as if he was bored. She stood in shock, not knowing what to do. The firebenders turned from the already burning houses and faced towards Rei's house, with her mother guarding the door. Finally, she just couldn't take the terrifying scene any longer.

"STOP! I'm the airbender! I'm the airbender!" Rei shouted. "Take me, but please don't hurt anyone else!"

Admiral Zhao turned his icy gaze on her, and quick as a flash, the other fire nation soldiers stopped and surrounded her. Two soldiers grabbed her by the arms as Zhao rode towards her. His armor gleamed in the light of the burning houses, and shadows danced across his already menacing face. He looked down upon her, a clear look of satisfaction on his face.

"So this is a fabled avatar." He said, with a slight smirk on his face. "I have no idea how you've managed to allude the fire nation for so long, but I can assure you that your days of freedom are over."

"WHAT? I'm not the avatar!" Rei exclaimed. "I had no idea I was even a bender of any kind until today, I swear!"

Zhao looked away from Rei. "Oh, I plan on testing the truth of your words soon enough." He motioned the soldiers to the side. "Bring her to the ship."

"NO!"

Zhao looked back to see Rei's mother came running towards her. Two soldiers blocked her path as she fought to get close to her daughter. "You can't do this! You can't take her away! You can't!" She cried, with tears flowing down her face.

"I believe I can, and I already have." Zhao brushed her of, glaring at her. "We are the fire nation, sons and daughters of fire, the superior element. You peasants do not get to question me."

Zhao closed his eyes into slits before motioning the soldiers to be rid of the distressed mother, before ordering the rest of the troops with a commanding voice, "Firebenders, move out!"

As Rei was led away, she turned back to catch one last glimpse of her home. She saw Mayu standing in the street, looking confused and scared while clutching her stuffed toy. Rei looked away, with silent tears flowing down her cheeks as the smoke rose from the ashes of what once was her life, lit up like a burning totem in the night.

 **Voilà! The dreaded Commander Zhao makes his appearance! I have no idea why but I've always liked his malicious character. I made this chapter a bit longer since I may or may not be late next week with my last round of midterms coming up. I apologize in advance, but worry not! I will return with chapter 4 as soon as I can! Have a great week, lovelies! X**


	4. Chapter 4 - Interrogation

_Drip...Drip…Drip…_

The interrogation room was damp and cold. The lantern swinging slightly over Rei's head provided the only light in the windowless room. The floors and walls were made of metal, which made the chill in the room even more cold. Her hands were bound in chains, which went through a loop of metal welded to the metal table in front of her. The chair she was sitting on was creaky and uncomfortable, but she wasn't really expecting any sort of hospitality from the fire nation. Rei shivered. She only had on the green short-sleeved shirt and loose earth nation pants that she put on earlier in the day, so she didn't have much to keep her warm. One would expect a FIRE nation ship to be warm, but she guessed that they purposefully had a cold room for interrogation or something. She's been in this room for what seems to be hours, with nothing to distract her from the current situation except for the occasional drops of water dripping from the ceiling. If Zhao was aiming to create an air of uneasy anticipation, then he was doing a good job.

When they first arrived at the ship, Rei was completely in awe and shock from the mere size of the ship. It scaled larger than any other ship or building she's ever seen in her life. The bulk of the ship was dark grey with red-tinted windows and fire nation banners swaying in the breeze. It bore the distinctive angular shapes on the head and tail of the ship that the fire nation was so proud of. It smelled terrible as well, emitting a smoggy, charcoal odour into the air. It was probably coal-powered, which could explain the terrible smell. When Rei arrived at the foot of the boarding bridge, she jumped back and let out a high-pitched squeak in fright from a sharp hiss of steam emitting from the ship. She saw the sides of Zhao's lip creep upward into a terrible smirk at that. She hated him already.

She was immediately led into this dark room to await questioning. She tinkered with the chains for a while but it was clear to her that there was no way she could think of to break out of the chains without a key or a lockpick. Air bending would be completely useless in this situation. Well, it would be useless in any case since she hardly knew what she was doing in the meantime. She had played a bit with her bending by swinging the lantern above her with her breath, but nothing awe-inspiring. Now she was listening to the _drip drips_ of water trickling down from the ceiling. She could also make out muffled footsteps above her, on what she assumes to be the main deck, but she couldn't be sure how deep in the ship she actually was. Nope, she was just a sitting turkeyduck waiting for what happens next.

What she couldn't believe is that they thought she was the avatar. Sure, the last avatar was an airbender but they haven't been seen in over a century. Did she look like a century-old monk? No, no she did not. She wasn't even a monk, nor was she near an airbender temple. Whoever it was must be dead and gone at this point, probably like the other airbenders. It was better to think of the avatar as dead and gone rather than just separating themselves from the world, letting the fire nation rage on with the war. It would be terrible to think that the Avatar left willingly, letting all hell break loose.

She stroked her necklace gingerly, grateful that she had it on when the fire nation platoon attacked. She didn't know what she would've done if she lost it. She hoped that Terra and her family was ok. The flames were still burning bright when she was led away by the fire nation soldiers. She can still see the look of confusion and fear on her sister's face, watching her being led away. Rei's heart quivered at the thought of her sister. There was no way she would be able to be a kid anymore, being the only family member other than her mother left. No more playing sentry with Ling, no more bothering grumpy Mr. Quabbles, all because of Rei. All because of this stupid "gift". She never wanted this damn gift anyways, all it does it bring her misery. How the hell did this happen anyway? She hasn't heard so much as a peep from Sora since she got here. Rei thought that at least she would hear some words of wisdom from her but she's remained silent this whole time.

Rei snapped back to the present when she heard the jangling of keys at the door. The lock on the door clicked and creaked open to reveal Zhao accompanied by two other fire nation officers in skull masks. The two soldiers stood at the doorway while Zhao approached the table, his hands held behind his back. Shadows fluttered across his face which paralleled the shadows emitted by her burning village just hours before. He scowled down at her, searing through her with his fiery, amber eyes. She stared right back, not giving in to his intimidating look. He walks up slowly to the table, stopping at its edge.

"So this is the Avatar…" He started, his voice leaking with malice and contempt. "Master of all the elements."

Zhao was masked in the shadows at the far end of the room, away from the firelight. He stepped forward, his armor glittering and shadows dancing around his body. The corner of his lip was raised in a half-amused smirk, seeing Rei bound in chains at the table. Rei hated his stupid, sideburn face. He began to pace around the table, each step he toke making a deep clanking sound on the deck. He circled around Rei, like a serpent circling around prey. Rei kept staring back at him, but she was getting antsy with Zhao's mind games.

"I did not expect to find the last airbender in a pathetic excuse for a village, let alone being a little girl." He stopped directly behind Rei. She curled her hands into little, tight balls with her nails breaking skin. _Little girl? I'm sixteen fuck's sake_ , she thought angrily. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge as he leaned in closer to her.

"I expected more of a challenge." He purred into Rei's ear.

Rei whipped her head to the side. "I told you, I'm not the damn Avatar." She hissed.

Zhao clicked his tongue. "We shall see."

Zhao paced past Rei and sat down on the opposite side of the metal table. He motioned towards the two soldiers behind him, and one of them knocked on the door. Another fire nation soldier came into the room, bringing a tray of various items and placing it on the table. It seemed to be a rock, an unlit candle and a cup of water. Rei looked from the tray back to Zhao, who lost his "better than thou" attitude and went back into his natural scowl. He took the rock into one of his hands.

"It is said that a pebble falling from a cliff, when in the presence of an earthbeder, would naturally fall in the direction of said person." Zhao said, twisting the rock in his hand. "A bender has a certain influence on their element, whether they are conscious about it or not. Earth is naturally attracted to earthbenders, water to waterbenders…"

Zhao slammed the rock down on the table. The act rang out a low bang and Rei jumped back in her seat. Zhao eyed her coldly, and bent a flame in his left hand.

"Fire to firebenders."

Zhao lit the candle in front of him. Rei could see, although it seemed to dance randomly in many directions, the flame was more attracted to Zhao's general direction than anything else. It seemed alive, reaching out to the firebender like a child reaching its arm out to its mother. Rei stared at the flame, then back up to Zhao.

"And what is this going to prove, then?" Rei prodded.

Zhao tapped his fingers on the table. "You won't be able to hide your influence on the elements, Avatar." Zhao however did not look at Rei, but at the rock sitting in the middle of the table. It didn't move from where Zhao had slammed it. Zhao's scowl deepened, and he pushed the candle towards Rei.

Rei looked at the candle, with its flame dancing wildly. The flame still flowed slightly more towards Zhao, but it did not have any distinct direction of influence. The flame started dancing wildly after a few moments, darting in many different directions. The flame flickered more intensely, as if it was greatly distressed. Suddenly, the flame went out with a small gush of wind. The small trail of smoke rose up into the air, making the room smell slightly of wax and smoke.

Zhao lets out a low grunt and spills the cup of water in Rei's direction. The water trails towards her, but loses velocity and spills off to the sides. Rei looked up at Zhao, who looked as if he should have smoke coming out of his ears. She looks into his eyes defiantly and says,

"Like I said, I'm not your Avatar. I'm just an airbender."

"Useless." Zhao sneered, and pushed away from the table in a rough manner to a standing position.

"I guess the Fire Nation will have to look elsewhere for the Avatar." She adds, letting the corner of her mouth lift up slightly in a smirk.

He looks down onto Rei, eyes blazing. He leans in with his hands on the table.

"Then you should join the rest of your kind." He growls.

He pushes back and stomps towards the doors. He motions towards the soldiers on guard, saying loudly so Rei could hear, "Dispose of the prisoner."

"Wait, what?!" She shot back.

Rei's heartbeat picks up, sending her into a silent panic. What did he mean by that? Oh fuck, what were they going to do? The two soldiers stepped towards her as Zhao exited the room. Rei jumped up and pulled back away from them, but her chains prevented her from getting very far. The soldiers stepped closer, reaching out towards her. She swatted back at them, trying to get them as far away as possible. Rei pulled at her chains, but was detained by one soldier while the other unlocked the welded loop on the table. They grabbed Rei by her arms and escorted her to the door, all the while with Rei kicking and yelling.

"Where are you taking me? Let me go!" She cried out.

"Silence." One soldier ordered.

She was led out of the room and into a long, dark hallway. Zhao was on the left, talking with another fire nation officer. He listened with silent interest as he watched Rei being pulled away. The soldiers escorting Rei turned right and began marching down deeper into the unknown. Rei continued to kick and yell as hard and as loud as she could, trying to mask her terror with rage. She thought of trying to airbend, but the soldiers had a tight grip on her arms. She was panicking. She didn't know what was going to happen. They were leading her deeper into the bowels of the ship where who knows what will happen to her.

"Halt!"

Zhao's voice boomed down the hall. The two fire nation soldiers stopped in their tracks and turned to face Zhao. Zhao was still listening to the words of the officer he was conversing with. Rei could barely make out what they were saying, but she could hear the tail-end of the accompanying soldier's remark.

"…serve as a decoy...believe we have the Avatar…control the rebellion."

Zhao nodded and gazed in Rei's direction. He gestured for the soldiers holding Rei to come forward. Rei stumbles slightly as they walked up to Zhao. Zhao looks down at Rei, never breaking eye contact.

"Bring the prisoner to a vacant holding cell. We'll deal with her when we reach the harbor."

With that, Rei was whisked away down the opposite side of the hallway. As she was led away, she could feel Zhao's eyes burning a hole in the back of her skull. The two soldiers led her to an iron door, where one took out his keys to unlock it. Rei thought for a split second that she could try to make a break for it, but decided against it. How could she get past any of the other guards? Even if she did, where would she go? She has no idea where the harbor the ship was going to is located, plus after the preceding situation, she thought it was best to not "rock the boat" as it were.

The soldiers pushed her into the cell, chaining her to the wall in a sitting position with her hands above her head. Damn, it was really uncomfortable. After they finished, the soldiers took their leave and locked the door, leaving Rei alone in her cell. It was cold, and somewhat damp. The familiar _drip drips_ of falling water sounded once more. Muffled voices and footsteps could be heard overhead. Rei's heart was still beating uncontrollably from the struggle and blind panic. Rei took a few deep breaths to calm herself, and twitched her feet and legs a bit, kind of wishing she could've walked a bit more before being chained up again. She looked around the dark room, eying the torch lit on the side. The flames flickered passively, sending shadows flashing in its wake. She blew in its direction, sending the flames to flicker uncontrollably in response then settling once more. A flame can switch from passive to aggressive in an instant, with the capacity of destroying everything in its path. Rei couldn't help but think of Zhao's switching moods during her interrogation, from being a smirking bastard to an enraged fiend. She knew that she had to be careful, but at the same time she knew that she wouldn't allow herself to be walked on by the likes of him. At least she was alive, which was the good thing from all of this. It was going to be a long trip to wherever that wretched boat was going, but she knew that she needed sleep. And a visit from Sora. Rei closed her eyes, listening to the quiet droplets of water as she sunk into slumber.

 _Drip...Drip…Drip…_

 **Yes I know, I took inspiration from the terrible movie that shall not be named. I found the test interesting, and thought it would be a cool way to prove Rei wasn't the Avatar. I wanted to accent Zhao's switch between moods since I see him as a sadistic, cruel character who can switch from being perversely happy with himself to spitting fire in a second. Anyways, please give me your thoughts and constructive criticism cuz every review helps! I'm going to try make Saturday my posting day, so hopefully I can keep to my schedule!**

 **Have a great week my lovelies! X**


	5. Chapter 5 - Trust in Me

Rei's mind led her to her familiar dream-land, but it wasn't the same as before. Rei looked around her in shock, unprepared for the scene that surrounded her. The once thriving, serene forest was now charred and dead. The tall evergreen trees were burnt beyond recognition, the ground covered in soot and ash. Smoke still rose from the charred remains of the natural landscape, sending a charcoal smell in the air. It looked…ugly, like a huge scar ripped across the land. There was no sign of life anywhere. There was just… death. Rei rotated slowly, taking in the terrible sight. She then saw at the corner of her eye the spring in which Sora lived. Rei walked up slowly to the spring, where Sora sat at its edge.

The spring did not flow with water as it used to. No waterfall filled the pond with opal waters. No breeze fluttered through the surrounding trees, charging the air with life. The pond was now dirtied, filled with leaves and soot that transformed the water into a murky, brownish-black color. Sora sat at the edge of the pool, stroking the surface of the water with her fingers. Her head drooped downwards with her hair masking any expression on her face. She had no wind filling her robes, which settled limply around her body, but still emitted a blue aura around her. Rei padded up to the water's edge.

"What happened?" She asked quietly.

Sora let out a weak chuckle. "This place…This was a sanctuary for both you and me."

She moved her fingers in a circular motion, moving a floating leaf in tiny spirals. The leaf spiralled from the water's surface, then climbed up into the air at face-height. Sora twirled the leaf around in-between the two of them. Rei saw Sora's face, with mixed emotions of worry, and a hint of something else… hope? Sora cracked a half-smile in reassurance to the confused look Rei portrayed.

"However, this sanctuary reflects the world around you and your experiences, Rei." Sora let out a soft breath and blew the leaf away on its own individual breeze.

"So…I did this?" Rei said softly.

"No, my child." Sora hushed. "This is merely a reflection, a reaction to the events that transpired at your village. You're surrounded by the very ones who've committed this horrendous act, and thus you cannot escape the memory that burned into your every thought. This branded your mind, and imprinted on this place."

"But why? Why did you let this happen? Why didn't you help me back then like in the marketplace?" Rei rasped, her eyes beginning to swell. "You just let my village burn."

"I did not, Rei." Sora reached out her hand to caress her cheek. Rei winced and pulled away from the outreached appendage. Sora sighed and retracted her hand into her chest with her head down. She cradled it with her other hand, as delicately as one would cradle an infant. The blue aura around her flickered, sending blue sparks into the air.

"You must understand, Rei. I am a spiritual guide, here to aid you in your plights. But I am not strongly bound to you, you won't let me."

Sora looked up at Rei, with pleading eyes of concern. "Please let me in, Rei. You must trust me."

Rei hesitated for a moment. "I…I do trust you. I guess don't really have much of an option at this point, do I?"

Sora reached her hand out once more, letting it float in-between them. One outreached hand, offering support for Rei during this time of hardship. But how much trust could she put into this bond? How could she afford to not trust anyone either? Being a branded airbender would make many immediate enemies in the future, so she needed as many allies and supporters as she could make at this moment. She continued to stare at the outreached hand, not fully knowing what to do.

"Then put your trust into me, Rei. Take my hand." Sora said.

Rei leaned her arm forward, with her fingers outstreached. She pulled away for a brief moment, with her fingers in a fist. She looked into Sora's eyes, and found only warmth and encouragement with the flash of a smile on her face. She then decided to take the plunge and took Sora's hand.

The moment their hands came into contact, a bright light was emitted. It was blinding, and quickly illuminated the forest bright beyond imagination. The earth rumbled and a huge gust of wind blew with great intensity, making it difficult for Rei to keep her balance. She shut her eyes instinctively, shielding herself from the rays of spiritual light. Rei grasped Sora with both hands, desperately trying to anchor herself to the ground. She felt as if she was going to be blown away right out of the forest, and yet Sora kept her in place with a delicate hand. Through all the chaos, Rei could hear Sora's voice clear as day.

"Trust in our bond, Rei, and I will be there to guide you."

* * *

Rei was awoken suddenly by a loud creak from the prison cell door. She gasped and looked towards the door, where a fire nation soldier wearing a skull mask was holding a tray of food. The soldier dropped the tray with a loud clang onto the floor at her feet, spilling mushy slop all over. The soldier pushed the tray with his foot in a rough motion, then headed for the door.

"Hey! My hands are chained to the wall here, how can I eat that?" Rei retorted.

"Figure it out."

The prison cell door slammed shut, with the jangling of keys and the locking mechanism being locked once more. The slamming sound echoed in the dark cell, sending a faint ringing into Rei's ears. She shook her head and looked down at the tray at her feet. It was just a mount of grey slop, presumably oatmeal, which was sprayed around on her feet, the tray and the floor surrounding it. There was a fork sprawled on the floor to her right, which didn't seem very appropriate for the meal at hand. Maybe they just wanted her to have a bad time with it. She pushes the heel of her right shoe onto the top of her left, trying to push it off her foot. When she manages to take the shoe off, she reached her foot out to the fork. She spreads out her toes, trying to get the fork into the gap between her big toe and adjacent toes. The fork clinked and spun around in her frustration, then finally finds its way in-between her toes. Grinning with satisfaction, she brings the fork over to the food sprawled in front of her. The fork barely gets a mouthful of food onto itself, and she tries to bring it to her mouth. It was much harder than it looked. She hadn't realized how cramped her legs have become from the journey until this very moment. She couldn't get the fork any closer than just over a foot away from her face. She tried to angle the fork in a better angle, but in the process spilling the food onto her pants. She cried out in frustration and drops the fork onto the ground. It was clear that she wasn't going to get any food in her anytime soon.

She sighed in frustration, and leaned her head upwards onto the metal wall. She closed her eyes, letting her thoughts flood her mind. The dream didn't leave her drained, but instead left her…inspired? Slightly more energetic? She couldn't exactly put her finger on it. Ha, well she couldn't really put her finger on anything with her hands chained to the wall. She wiggled her hands in discomfort, wishing that the chains weren't so tight. She eyed the lock on the left side of the chains, wondering if it could be picked. She's never picked a lock before, but it couldn't be that complicated, could it?

She picks up the fork with her foot once more, and leans her leg in towards the lock. She wasn't a very flexible person so this step took a little bit to accomplish. She clinks the fork onto the wall a few times before she could steady herself in hovering the fork in front of the lock. She jams the fork up into the locking mechanism and fiddles it in many different directions. She grimaces as she tries jerking it in one direction, then the next. She sticks her tongue to the side in a typical concentrated expression, totally concentrated on the task at hand until a click sounded at the prison cell door.

She pulls down on the fork and flings it to the side of the room just as the door began to open. She flicks the food tray to the side as the door opened fully to reveal a stern-faced Zhao. He raises an eyebrow at her when he witnesses the tail-ends of her actions, and she answers this with a stare. Zhao takes a few steps forward, glancing at the food tray at one end of the room and the fork on the other. He looks back to her, unamused as always.

"A messy eater, I see." He comments.

Rei shrugs. "What? I'd like to see you try to eat with _your_ hands chained to a wall."

Zhao grunts and side-steps around a spill of slop to the side of the room. "We will arrive to the harbor shortly, where arrangements will be made to transfer you to a secure facility in the fire nation."

"Why? You already established I'm not the Avatar, so what's the point?" She ask. She didn't want to give him any ideas, but her curiosity got the best of her.

"The rest of the world needn't know." He replied. "You're an airbender, others will assume you're the Avatar as we have. Captured Avatar, no more pathetic notions of hope or rebellion."

Rei sniggered. "You really think everyone is just going to stop in their tracks if they think the Avatar is captured? Like 'poof', there goes any rebellion?"

Zhao scowled. "Some believe that the Avatar will return and save them, but seeing the 'Avatar' in chains would reduce their pathetic hopes."

Zhao turned towards the door. He stops at the entrance, and says over his shoulder, "Or we could simply kill you. I couldn't care less."

With that, the stupid head exited the room. Rei stuck her tongue out at the door; a small act of rebellion in her situation. Well, they're almost to the harbor. Perhaps she could figure out an escape plan once they arrive. Maybe steal a ship. She could picture herself stealing a tanker, with Zhao fuming on shore. She chuckled. It seems comical and fun in her head, but it's probably not the best idea to steal a boat. Maybe she could stow-away? Yeah, be a stow-away. That's the best plan of action. She has to be sure to pay attention to every detail when she's moved from the ship so that she's able to stealthily stow-away on some random ship. Maybe she could get a ship heading back towards Terra. She smiled at the thought of going home. Perhaps going home isn't that far-fetched as she thought. All she had to do is play it smart, and put some trust in Sora to help guide her. She shut her eyes and whispered,

"I trust you Sora. Help me get home."

 **Hey everyone! Chapter 5 is now up and running! I apologize if this chapter seems sub-par, since I didn't get as much time to work on this one. Which leads me to say that chapter 6 won't be up for about two weeks due to my midterms and exam prep :(** **I hope you guys have a wonderful next two weeks, and please review! Have a great two weeks, lovelies! X**


	6. Chapter 6 - The Docks

It's been a few hours since Zhao entered her cell, which gave Rei a lot of time to think about an escape plan. Actually, most of the time she just sat in place, trying to meditate. She figured it would be better if she could figure out a way to communicate with Sora without falling asleep in a tough situation. The cell was somewhat quiet except for the occasional drips of water and the muffled voices above her, but it gave her an optimal environment to at least try to meditate. Airbenders were monks, one with the energy of the universe or whatever, so meditating should come easily to her, right?

Nope, wrong.

Rei tried to push all of her thoughts out of her head and focus on nothing, but that didn't work. She was too antsy and bothered by her chains, her cramped legs and arms, and the drips of water, although occasional, would echo in the cell against the metal floors and walls which would break her concentration. _Why does everything have to be made of metal in this place_ , she thought. Her belly gurgled in protest, hunger setting in after the hours of imprisonment. She hasn't eaten anything since the piece of fruit she had the morning she was taken. How long has it been since she was taken? A few days? She guessed about three or four days, but she couldn't tell with the darkened halls and cells in the bowels of the ship. Her thoughts seemed to scream at her, and claw into her mind. Obviously, those thoughts aren't going to be leaving her alone any time soon. After many tries to silence them, she decided that her time would be better spent devising an escape plan.

Zhao said that they were approaching the harbor, wherever that would be. She assumed that they were still in the Earth Kingdom heading towards a fire nation military camp or something, which would make the most sense. The soldiers would transfer her to another holding cell in the harbor, which should give her a good look around the place and give her valuable information in relation to an escape route. She decided earlier that being a stowaway would be the best course of action, so stealth would be key. Growing up in an Earth Kingdom village with earthbenders crashing rocks everywhere, this would be a foreign thing to her but a necessity nonetheless. She looked around the cell, giving into boredom. _I thought we were close to the harbor_ , she thought to herself. She rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes, deciding to give meditation another go. She didn't even relax all of her muscles yet when the ship lurched forward to a stop. She heard a flurry of footsteps and shouting above her, probably orders being given and such. She groaned and opened her eyes slowly, knowing that the time to move has come. She waited another ten minutes or so before three soldiers came to get her. They were still dressed in the usually uniform and skull masks, which didn't bother her as much as it did before. She flashed them a half-smile.

"Morning, gents. Is it time to move?" She greeted. The soldiers said nothing. One of them stepped forward to remove her from the chains on the walls while the other two guarded the door.

"You guys are a lively bunch…" Rei muttered.

She heard a click and her arms fell down into her lap. Pain flashed in her chest, sending shocking ripples down her arms. She let out a short gasp and rolled her shoulders and head around in circles, trying to stretch out her sore muscles. The two soldiers standing guard stepped forward and pulled Rei up to her feet, sending the spilt oatmeal-goop on her pants to the ground. She was ready to step out when all of a sudden, a cloth-like material was put over her head.

"Hey!" She cried. "What's the big idea?"

The soldiers didn't respond, but lead her out of the cell. Rei's vision was replaced with darkness, a curtesy of the cloth bag over her head. She heard the cell door creak shut and the keys jingle in the lock. _Crap,_ she thought. How was she going to know her surroundings and devise her escape route now? She was completely blind in this case. In the dark corridors of the ship, she couldn't see anything except for the very faint aura of firelight from the torches from within the cloth sac. Looking at her surroundings obviously wasn't an option at this point, so she knew that she had to pay close attention to where she is lead and what she hears. She was lead to the right then forward, each footstep clinking on the metal floor. The soldiers steered her down various hallways, turning left and right. She tried to count her steps, but lost count after around 300. She tripped when her foot encountered a hard edge, lurching forward against the soldiers' arms. They pulled her up and lifted her up the first step of a staircase, presumably what she tripped on. The staircase was also made of metal, making a low clanking sound with every footstep. She detected a hint of salt in the air, and the muffled voices she'd heard from her cell became clearer and more distinct. She heard a low, loud creak and a flood of light and sound came at her.

A flurry of sounds and smells filled Rei's senses. Avian shrieks sounded above her, the sound of waves crashed in the distance, various male shouts surrounded her and the strong smell of salt in the air burned in her nostrils. All of her senses were filled with excitement and bombardment with all these smells and sounds. Though the cloth bag over her head made the air she breathed stuffy and warm, the fresh ocean air lifted her spirits. She smiled but the soldiers jerked her out of her temporary moment of contentment and led her to the right.

Rei continued marching blindly with her captor soldiers leading the way. She heard some of the voices on the ship reduce to mutters and whispers as she passed by. She heard some sniggers and hoots, even one or two high-pitched whistles which set her on edge. They were seamen, so it would have been ages since they've even seen a girl she assumed. She was glad she had a cloth bag over her head at that point in time. She finally crossed the main deck of the ship and continued down a ramp leaning downwards to what she assumed to be the docks. She made sure to pay special attention to her surroundings from then on.

When she stepped off the ship, Rei could tell that the docks were situated in a rocky environment. The ground was hard and jagged, like the rough edge of a mountain. The air held a faint trace of dust as it blew roughly on her face. She didn't hear many people talking around her, but did pick up the sound of some heavy material swaying in the breeze. The heavy material was hard to place. Were they flags flowing in the wind? No, this sound was more distinct and dominating. Perhaps they were tent flaps? _Maybe this is a temporary military base_ , Rei pondered. If the fire nation was using tents here instead of more permanent lodgings, then they haven't been situated in this area for too long. If there were tents there, how would she be detained? Obviously she wouldn't be chained to the wall like last time. They'd probably use rope or something along those lines. As they marched on, Rei could feel Rei suddenly got an idea.

Rei tripped and fell hard onto the ground. The act took all the air from her lungs, leaving her breathless. She wheezed pathetically as she felt the ground around her hand as inconspicuously as possible. She managed to take a small rock into the palm of her hand before she felt the soldiers' hands on her arms.

"Damn rocks…" She muttered under her breath, while slipping the rock into the elastic on her pants.

The soldiers carried on, pressing forward with their prisoner. As they edged deeper into the camp, Rei could hear voices emitting from ahead. She could distinctly hear Zhao's voice, but couldn't make out what he was saying. His tone was authorative but calm, so it was probably boring stuff anyways. If Zhao wasn't the least ticked off, it shouldn't be that interesting. The soldiers made a hard left and led onwards, stopping after a few paces. She heard some heavy material being parted in a swishing motion and was led into her new home. She was lead forward up against a pole of wood, and had her hands tied behind her back. The cloth hood was finally taken off of her head and she now had the opportunity to see where she was.

Rei was correct in assuming that she was being led to a tent. The heavy tent material was red in color (no duh) with a rug on the floor made of red, gold and orange fibers. It was actually really pretty to look at. There was nothing in the room except her and the pole she was tied to, with a lantern sitting on an end table in the corner. Rei looked up and saw the two soldiers that escorted her to her new cell, still bearing the skull masks. The soldiers glanced at each other before taking their leave, folding back the tent flap as they left. Rei caught a quick glance of the outside, where she could make out half of a soldier's physique on either side of the tent flap with accompanying spears. She could see the ships out at the docks and holy were there a lot of them. Zhao had a whole armada on his hands, for sure. The soldiers were walking towards the right, assuming that they're going towards where Zhao was. This was all she could see before the tent flap was closed, leaving her alone once more.

Rei stood against the pole for a few moments, not sure what to do. She stretched out her shoulders and legs, which were still sore from the journey over. She yawned, licking her lips and blinking fervently. From what she could tell, she was somewhat close to where Zhao was situated, which was a bad sign. She was probably close to the docks but security around Zhao's tent, let alone her tent, would be astronomical. She sighed, and rested her head on her wooden pole. She knew that Zhao would be coming in to check on her at some point, so she figured she would stay standing for the time being. She's spent so much time sitting that standing was a nice change. She rolled her hands in circled against her bindings, figuring that they're made from some sort of rope. _Great_ , she thought. The rock she snuck in might come in handy, assuming it is sharp enough to cut through rope. The noises she heard outside weren't as muffled as they were in her cell, so she could make out tail-ends of conversations. One passerby talked about how hungry he was, and hoped that the kitchens weren't serving smoked sea slug for the hundredth time. Another complained about his sore feet. After boring herself with eavesdropping on those conversations, she figured no time like the present to try meditating again.

Rei leaned all of her weight on the pole and tilted her head back. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. She let her breathing slow and muscles relax. She tried her hardest not to let her thoughts invade her peace of mind, and focused all on her breathing. She could feel the stress flowing down and out of her body. Finally, when she felt ready, she focused on the serene emptiness in her mind and spoke.

"Sora…"

She felt the air around her shift, with a faint echo sounding in front of her. She opened her eyes and found a faint image of Sora, standing in front of her with a blue aura around her and a small smile plastered on her face. Rei smiled back.

"Hello, my child." Sora greeted. "You found me."

"Yeah, I did." Rei replied, excited that she managed to make a connection with Sora. "But…What now?"

"Well," Sora began. "You've established a connection between us in this physical realm which is very good. Now, we must strengthen that connection, practice with it so I can help you more readily in the near future."

"Ok…Um by the way, can other people see you or just me?" Rei wondered. She could see Sora clear as day, but if other people can see her talking to a spirit then that would be bad.

"I am bound to you spiritually, which means that only those who have a connection to the spirit world can see me." She chuckled. "So only you can see me at this present time."

"Ok. That makes sense." Rei replied. "I need help getting out of here. I tried to find an escape route but they put a bag over my head."

"Focus on your gift, Rei." Sora stepped towards her, placing her hand upon her forehead. "Every word, every sound travels through the air that you can bend. Use your head, pay attention and stay safe."

With her last word, Sora kissed Rei's forehead and dissolved into a ray of pale blue light that was absorbed into Rei's body. It tickled a little bit, but in the end it made her feel warm and safe. She sighed and considered Sora's words. It's frustrating but the best thing to do right now was to gather information before taking action, Rei knew this. She was eavesdropping on some passing conversations but the really juicy ones would be at Zhao's tent to the left of hers. Maybe she _could_ use her bending to amplify those conversations so she could hear. She focused her attention towards Zhao's tent and began to twirl her fingers in a circular motion. She could hear marching and some of the conversations right outside her tent, then heard a group of people marching her way.

Rei's head snapped up when she heard the tent flap open, revealing Zhao entering with a small group of soldiers staying outside. Rei was facing towards the left side of the tent, where she turned her head to the right towards Zhao.

"Nice change of scenery." She said calmly.

"Don't get used to it. You won't be here for long." He replied. He held his hands behind his back and walked around Rei.

"Well, I wasn't a sea-faring type anyway." She retorted, turning her head forward. "Where are you taking me, then?"

"You will be taken to the fire nation capital, where the fire lord will make the final judgement on what to do with you."

Zhao continued to circle around Rei. He slipped behind Rei, just beyond her field of view.

"How did one airbender slipped through our net, I wonder." He pondered.

"Like I said, your guess is as good as mine." She replied. "My family are earthbenders, not airbenders."

Zhao stopped directly behind Rei for a moment. Rei could feel his presence looming over her, making her feel very uncomfortable. Her heartbeat quicken, her palms getting sweaty. She squirmed her hands against her rope bindings, trying to keep herself cool and collected. She heard a quiet grunt from behind her. This was really creeping her out. She hated knowing that he was just staring at her with his dark, amber eyes. She wiped the instinctive look of disgust off of her face and said:

"So why are you people so afraid of me?"

Rei heard a sharp inhale from behind. She could tell that Zhao was fuming. She also heard a crack, probably from balling his hands into fists. When she didn't hear a response, Rei pushed on.

"I mean, you guys want to keep me under lock and key, shipping me to the fire nation and for what?" She turned her head to the left and softly says over her shoulder, "Are you afraid of a little bit of wind?"

A hand whipped around from behind and wrapped around Rei's neck. She gasped in surprise, instantly feeling the immense pressure on her airway. The hand around her neck began to get warmer, signaling Zhao's anger and firebending bubbling to the surface. Zhao leaned in close to the left side of Rei's head, centimeters from her ear.

"The fire nation fears nothing," he growled. " **We** are fear itself. You are just a little **bitch** that slipped through the cracks. If fate had been kinder, you would be dead like all other airbenders."

Rei gasped for air, while burn marks began to form on her neck. She let out a choked cry of pain, her eyes beginning to instinctively water. Her hands squirmed fervently against her bindings, but his upper leg was leaning on them.

"Stop…" She cried out, weakly.

Zhao chuckled darkly. "So who's _really_ the fearful one here, little one?"

Suddenly, a fire nation soldier stepped into the tent. The soldier parted the tent flap, sending a ray of light into the tent. Zhao let go of Rei, who began to cough and gasp for air. The soldier stopped in front of them, confused.

"This better be important." Zhao adjusted his sleeves, with a firm scowl on his face.

The soldier hesitated for a moment. "The tower patrol reported a sighting of a fire nation ship of unknown origin, Commander. It isn't one of ours, but it does bear the royal banner."

Zhao grunted, and motioned for the soldier to leave. The soldier quickly glanced at Rei, who was still coughing frantically, then exited the tent. Rei caught her breath, struggling to contain her cries of pain from the burn on her neck. The pain seared through her, seemingly burning her throat from the outside in. She cleared her throat, and lifted her head up to see Zhao standing near the tent's entrance. He was stroking his face with one hand behind his back, lost in thought. He noticed Rei watching him, and stepped towards her. She flinched slightly to her embarrassment, which sent a chilling side-smirk on Zhao's face. He leaned in close in front of her, and Rei stared defiantly into his eyes.

"You can lie to yourself all you want, I don't give a damn. But we both know who is the one worth fearing." Zhao's eyes blazed darkly, with shadows dancing around his menacing gaze. Rei kept staring back at him, but after a few moments turned her head to the side in defeat. Zhao chuckled and let himself out.

When she was sure Zhao was out of earshot, she let out a huge sigh of relief. She unconsciously puffed her chest up with air during their encounter, which ached to be let out. She tried to calm herself, taking deep breaths in through her nose and out her mouth. That bastard was a whole new type of psycho, that's for sure. She would rather him be pissed off than just creepily staring at her, though. She ground her teeth in rage, ashamed that she let his mind games get to her. She hated him, and would love to blow his stupid grin off of his face. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the task at hand.

The soldier mentioned a fire nation ship of unknown origin. That means that Zhao doesn't have control over it so maybe that would be a good escape route. _But it bears the royal banner_ , Rei thought. That ship could take her straight to the last place she wanted to go; the fire nation. She has to dig up more information to consider all of her options. All she knew is that she wasn't staying there a second longer than she has to. It might be a long shot, but this unknown ship could be her ticket out of captivity. It could be her way back home.

 **Hi all! I am back from midterms, and diving into my exams haha fml. I hope you all like this latest installment of The Legend of Rei. It seems that Rei is in some hot water at the encampment, and I wonder who that mysterious ship belongs to *wink wink*. I will be back next week with another elongated chapter to make up for the missed publishing last week. Have a great week lovelies, and please review and follow if you like what you see for more chapters! X**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Unknown Ship

Rei awaited for news about the unknown ship approaching the harbor. Her neck stopped stinging for the time being which was a temporary relief. The burn already began to blister and was still emitting heat, which still hurt to some degree. Zhao really did do a number on her, but she hopes that the burn will heal completely. She used her bending to listen attentively to every conversation in the vicinity close to her. Not much has come up from those conversations, but Rei still stayed vigilant. Most of the conversations she did overhear were just general banter. It was strange how normal the fire nation soldiers seemed by their conversation topics. They were almost the same as the conversations people at home would have. It was somewhat eerie in fact, but they weren't like the people at home. They were the ones who burned down her village. These soldiers were evil, eager to destroy everything in their path. She shook her head in dismissal, and focused on the sounds around her.

Rei focused in on an approaching group. It didn't sound like many people, maybe only two or three. Only one person seemed to be carrying a conversation with himself while two others walked with him. The man sounded older, talking about tea of all things. He seemed pretty cheerful talking about it though. She could make out the tail-end of his ramblings, which were pretty amusing in itself.

"…ginseng tea is my favourite after all. Although any tea is a gift in itself, along with a nice hot, meal." The man said matter-of-factly.

"It is an honor to host the great General Iroh, hero of our nation." Zhao's voice replied. It appears that he went to greet the newcomers himself. "Would Prince Zuko like any refreshments?" He said that last part a bit derisively, indicating a slight contempt for whomever he was talking to.

"No." Another voice replied, assumingly this Zuko guy. His voice was cold and hard, and also sounded around the same age as Rei which was a bit exciting.

The trio continued walking closer, but more towards Zhao's tent. Rei heard the rough tent flap next door fold over. She also heard chairs scratching on a hard surface and the clinks of various dishes.

"You'll have to excuse my nephew, Commander. The ship's repairs have been an unexpected hindrance." The man assumed to be Iroh said.

"Oh yes, the boy's quest must be very tiring…" Zhao replied dismissively. "The fire nation however has made significant progress in the war. By year's end, the Earth Kingdom capital will be in our rule."

Rei heard a scoff. "If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool." Said Zuko.

"Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue." Zuko retorted. "So, how is your search for the Avatar going?"

A loud crash sounded, making Rei jump in surprise. The crash was loud and elongated, with metallic ringing sounding far and wide. There was a moment of silence when the crash finally ended, followed by Iroh's voice.

"Uhm…my fault, entirely."

"We haven't found him yet." Zuko uttered.

Zhao scoffs. "Did you really expect to? The Avatar died a hundred years ago…along with the rest of the airbenders."

 _Oh smooth,_ Rei mocked. _Nice little addition there, pretend that I don't exist_.

There was an uneasy pause. "Unless you found some evidence that the Avatar is alive." Zhao pried, his voice dripping with malice.

 _The Avatar_? Rei thought. No, there was no way that there was any evidence that the Avatar is actually still alive. Or is there? If an airbender like her could be found, then perhaps the Avatar could in theory be alive. Rei was greatly intrigued by the dramatic turn of the conversation.

"No. Nothing." Zuko replied weakly. It's like you said, the Avatar probably died a long time ago."

Rei heard the scratching noises of chairs being moved. "Come on uncle, we're leaving."

 _Huh, I'm guessing Iroh is his_ uncle, Rei thought. Zuko only took a few paces before there was a sheer sound of metal being scratched, probably spear heads pushing together to bar the path.

"Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you instructed." An unknown voice uttered. "They confirmed Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody, but let him escape."

"So remind me," Zhao sneered. "How exactly was your ship damaged?"

 _Oh shit,_ Rei gasped. _The Avatar_ is _alive_.

Rei listened in on the entire conversation that followed. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Apparently while this Zuko guy was in the South Pole, the Avatar shot a bright light into the sky which signaled his position with a nearby water tribe. Not only that, but he was a **child**! No older than 12, the boy was a gifted airbender that managed to escape Zuko's grip with the help of two of the water tribe members. While escaping, the Avatar wiped everyone out with some epic water bending and flew away on a giant flying bison. Last time she checked, bison couldn't fly but what did she know. Rei wouldn't have believed it if she wasn't hearing it from the source. Maybe she could find a way to find this Avatar. The last two airbenders on the planet are bound to meet at some point, right? When the story was finished, it was clear that Zhao was just as intrigued as Rei.

"So, a twelve-year old boy bested you and your firebenders?" Zhao spat. "You're more pathetic than I thought."

"…I've been hunting the Avatar for two years and I…"

"And you failed!"

Rei jumped back at the loud voice, hitting her head against her pole. Zhao's voice boomed and echoed from the tent, sending little vibrations in the air. She could clearly tell that he wasn't at all pleased. Then again, when has she ever seen him in a good mood?

"Capturing the avatar is too important to leave in a teenager's hands. He's _mine_ now."

Rei heard footsteps leading away as another loud crash sounded from the tent. Zhao was marching out of the tent, and spoke to the guards outside. He told them to organize a search party, and to spare no expense. He wanted the finest ships to be put together for the search party, to get the best soldiers to man them and to be all prepared as quickly as possible. She heard the soldiers run off into the distance to fulfil their Commander's orders, as Zhao paced off in another direction.

Rei was dumbstruck. The Avatar was alive. She didn't know whether to jump for joy, or to punch a wall. After 100 years of war, the Avatar suddenly decides to show up now? Where the hell was he all this time? And how could he be a boy of 12, even though the Avatar is supposed to be over 100 years old? Rei's mind buzzed with questions, desperate for answers she knew she wouldn't get tied to a pole. A certain thought flashed in her mind. _If the Avatar is really back, what will happen to me?_ She shivered. From what she could understand, she was only alive to serve as a decoy Avatar to be brought to the Fire Nation as a trophy. With the real Avatar making waves in the world, that plan would be pointless. What would be her fate now? Would she be killed off? Would Zhao leave her alone? Or worse, take her with him? She couldn't stand to think of being in his presence again after her previous encounter with the beastly man. To be quite honest, a trip to the Fire Nation would probably be preferable to another moment with Zhao. Now with the Avatar being alive, this changes everything. Her fate now hangs in the balance of the events to come. She knows she needs to leave, and she needs to leave now.

Rei switched her focus to the rock hidden in the waistband of her pants. She twisted her hands against her bindings, inching her fingers towards the top end of her pants. She pulled the back of the pants up, trying to shift the pressure from the waistband away from the rock at the front end of her pants. It took a few tries, but eventually she managed to loosen the grip on the rock which sent it tumbling down her pant leg and to the ground. Now was the difficult task of picking it up and transferring it to her hand.

Rei kicked off one of her shoes and took the rock in-between her first two toes. She then bends her leg backward towards her bound hands. She scrunched her fingers open and closed, desperately trying to grab at the rock. Unfortunately, her leg started to cramp up, which forced her to drop the rock behind her. She cursed, and searched for the rock with her foot. It took a few moments for her to find the rock once more, and tried more cautiously to bring the rock to her bound hands. Finally, she has some success and grabbed the rock with her hands. She rubs the rock quickly against the rope bindings on her hands, quick to cut the ropes. The rope fell to the ground, releasing her arms from the pole. Rei groaned in satisfaction, cracking as she stretched out. It must have taken her longer than she thought to get free because she heard a voice coming from Zhao's tent once more.

"My search party is ready. Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship and you'll be free to go."

Rei's heart skipped a beat. _That's how I'm going to get out of here!_ She thought to herself. All she had to do was sneak out of her tent, and then she could stow away on this boy's ship! _But only if Zhao doesn't take me along with him,_ she shuddered. She had hoped that with the prospect of capturing the real avatar, he would steer his gaze away from her, which would be a great relief. He's been staring at her strangely for a while, and she didn't like it one bit. But now that she thought about it, how could she sneak out of a soldier-infested camp without being seen? She wasn't exactly a master of stealth coming from a village of loud earthbenders. Only a miracle could save her now.

"…Don't underestimate me Zhao. I will capture the avatar before you."

She's got to hand it to that Zuko guy, he has a lot of guts to stand up to a man such as Zhao. Probably pretty stupid to do it too.

"You can't compete with me, boy. You're just a banished prince. No home; no allies. Your own father doesn't even want you."

Now that was cruel! Rei couldn't believe he said that! Well actually, yes she could believe he said that. But that doesn't make the statement any less shocking!

"If your father really wanted you home," He continued. "…He would've let you return by now. Avatar or no avatar. But in his eyes, you are a failure and a disgrace to the fire nation."

"That's not true." Zuko spat.

"You've got the scar to prove it." Zhao sneered.

That must've been the turning point because she heard a chair crash onto the floor and more yelling.

"Maybe you'd like one to match! Agni Kai, at sunset!" Zuko yelled out.

Zhao chuckled menacingly. "Very well. Too bad your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you. I guess your uncle will do."

Rei heard footsteps retreating from the tent, clearly indicating the group leaving. An Agni Kai? This was exactly what she was waiting for; a distraction big enough for her to escape. This was her chance to go home. Rei looked around the tent for a possible escape route. Unfortunately, the only entrance was guarded, which meant that she has to physically pull up a corner of the tent as inconspicuously as possible. She listened closely to her surroundings to indicate where she should leave. The front was loud with activity, so that was a no-go. The sides were too exposed to escape from, she could tell. Thus, the best place to escape was at the back. She needed to come up with a cover however to avert as much attention as she could.

Rei concentrated on the wind she heard outside. The rustling of tents and flags in the wind made it an excellent cover for her escape. She thought back to the stances she saw her father and her brother take when preparing to bend, so she tried to assume that stance. She breathed in and out decisively, and waves her arms as fluidly as she could back and forth with the wind. She could hear the wind begin to pick up outside as the guards starting complaining. She heard the flags and tents flap more fervently as the wind picked up, giving her the ultimate disguise. She could see the lower part of the tent flutter, letting in slight traces of light. She quickly tucked and rolled underneath the tent, stumbling out into the camp.

There were hundreds of tents spanning the entire camp. The camp itself was enormous! Red tents stood high in the sky, which were all squeezed close together except for Zhao's tent to the side. Rei peeked behind the corner of her tent, seeing the group she assumed to be Zhao and Zuko heading down the hill. She followed discretely behind, trying to be as stealthy as possible. Sure, she could have went straight towards the ships, but her curiosity got the better of her. She's never seen an Agni Kai, plus if there was an opportunity to see Zhao possibly get his ass kicked, she wasn't going to miss it. She knew that she couldn't risk being seen still in her green Earth Kingdom garments on, so she decided to snag a fire nation shirt and dark pants off a nearby clothesline on her way.

The Agni kai arena was located in the middle of the camp. It was rectangular in shape, and had braziers at each corner. All the soldiers' and officers' tents were scattered around the arena, making it uncomfortably open for her liking, but Rei had to take this opportunity. She also wanted to see how the Agni kai will progress, but that was for her own curiosity. She's never seen an Agni kai before, but she's heard of their brutal ends. She remembered earth benders throwing rocks and sludge at each other when she was younger, but this seemed to be more of a formal event. The area was quiet, and the air was charged with tension. Rei managed to climb up to a decent vantage point behind one of the braziers just beyond their line of sight. It was the perfect place to spy on their duel.

Rei saw the teenager she assumed to be Prince Zuko in the southern side of the arena. He was crouched down with his face hidden from her, with an old man next to him giving some last-minute advice. She remembered Zuko mentioning that the man was his uncle, but he must also be a mentor of some sort be someone this Zuko guy respected enough to listen to. Rei finally got a good view of Zuko when he turned and stood up to his full height. His chest was bare and well-toned, she noticed. His ponytail swayed in the breeze, which was a very foreign hairstyle to Rei. She was shocked to see the scar that dominated the left side of his face. Almost the entire left side of his face was blistered and charred beyond recognition of once being human flesh. She had heard Zhao mention the scar in one of the heated discussions she's overheard, but she didn't expect it to be this severe. _And it was his father who gave him that scar?_ She thought.

Zhao stood up soon after, across the arena and also bare-chested. Rei noticed that he was a taller than Zuko, which gave him a distinct height advantage. He wasn't much more toned than Zuko, but then again it wasn't strength that was being tested here. _Please let Zuko win_ , Rei prayed. It didn't really matter who would win, she just really wanted to see Zhao knocked down a peg.

The surprisingly loud gong sounded suddenly, initiating the start of the Agni Kai. The two men stood their ground, as still as they could possibly be. Zuko made the first move, with the build-up of a streak of fire and a fire punch. Zhao smirked and dodged the blaze with ease, as he did with the other fire punches that followed. This did not bode well with Zuko, as he raged on with increasing amounts of attacks. _Don't just attack blindly_ , she thought to herself. _You're going wear yourself out without landing a hit on Zhao_. It was clear that Zuko was losing stamina fast, huffing and puffing as he released attacks one after the other. Zuko incorporated his feet with his firebending, sending streams of fire flying in Zhao's direction. Zhao blocked the fire with ease, breaking the stream of fire into spitting streams when it collides with his form. Rei could hear the older man on the sidelines cheering Zuko on.

"Basics, Zuko! Break his root!"

But Zuko didn't have the chance to heed his mentor's advice for Zhao started piling on powerful shots of fire dead-on at him. Zhao stomped forward with confidence, spraying fire towards the boy. Zuko blocked every attack, but he was being pushed backwards by the sheer force of the blows. Finally, it proved to be too much for the young boy as Zhao launched a huge wave of fire that led the boy to topple to the ground. Zhao jumped up towards him and prepared to deal a final blow. Rei's hands jumped up to her mouth in anticipation. _Come on, Zuko,_ She prayed. _Get up_.

Zuko's legs suddenly sprung out from underneath Zhao, making the man lose his delicate balance. Zuko jumped up to his feet, with a look of sheer determination and smug satisfaction. He proceeded to spray fire with his feet, inching it towards the Zhao's legs. Zhao tripped backwards, dancing awkwardly to try to stay on his own two feet. This proved to be too difficult when he finally succumbed to gravity and fell flat onto his back. Rei let out a quick yelp and clapped with joy, but quickly contained her enthusiasm realizing she was still out in the open. Zuko stood over Zhao, arms outstretched in an offensive position. Zhao and Zuko were locked in a death stare, each anticipating the other's movement.

"Do it!" Zhao yelled.

Zuko cried out and struck his arm forward. Rei covered her eyes and looked away instinctively. It doesn't matter who was being hit with fire, she didn't want to see someone's flesh being melted off the bone, or something near that experience. But when she didn't hear a scream of pain, she parted her hands open just a crack. She saw Zhao still laying on the ground and Zuko standing above him, with a smoking scorch mark just inches from Zhao's head. Rei lowered her hands to her side, in awe at Zuko's actions. She saw Zhao and Zuko exchange words, or possibly threats, but those words passed through her ears. Zuko showed some surprising restraint, even against a bastard like Zhao. She didn't understand why, but whatever the reason, she gained a level of respect for the boy. Zuko turned on his heel and walked away from Zhao, who still lay on the ground.

Suddenly, Zhao jumped up and kicked a stream of fire hurdling towards Zuko. Rei stifled a scream, instinctively wanting to warn the boy. But before she could think otherwise, the elderly man stepped forward and caught Zhao's foot, who sent him flying backwards onto his back like a little rag doll. Rei creeped closer towards the edge of the wall in front of the brazier, wanting to experience more.

"So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat?" The man questioned. "Disgraceful. Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you."

Rei giggled. She was loving this, seeing Zhao get his ass handed to him.

"Thank you for the tea, it was delicious." The man finished, bowing and turning away.

Rei saw Zhao quickly glance up in Rei's direction, who quickly ducked down to avoid being seen. Rei sunk down to the stone flooring of the wall-walk, and crawled to the side of the wall which she climbed up in the first place. She quickly climbed down and ran towards the only boat that fit the description of the boy's ship; a small fire nation vessel bearing the royal banner. She whipped her head around, always checking to see if anyone can see her. She slowed down when she reached the ship, ducking behind a pillar. She saw a few men carrying crates onto the ship, and quickly followed suit. She picked up the last crate from the dock and followed the row of men carrying them into the bowels of the ship. As she entered the storeroom of the ship, she bumps into one of the sailors. She quickly excused herself, with her head facing downwards as she continued to march forward. He looked back at her for a brief moment, but shakes his head and continues on his route to the main deck.

The storeroom was small and cramped with crates and barrels of supplies. The room was dark, with lanterns hanging above from the ceiling. The air stunk of wood and moisture, witch filled her lungs with a weird heaviness. Rei put the crate down adjacent to the others in the room, and looked around for a good place to hide. She spied a decently-sized barrel that didn't seem to be too cramped for her size. She snuggled inside with the fruit that lay on the bottom. She put the lid back onto the barrel, sealing her into her new resting place. The barrel smelled extremely sweet, almost disgustingly so from the fruit juices inside. She picked up a piece of fruit from amongst the layer of mushy produce beneath her and bit into it eagerly. She forgot how long it has been since she's eaten last, so it was quite a treat to actually get food. The fruit's juices exploded in her mouth, sending a sticky, sweet taste to her senses. She munched on the fruit, grateful for the sustenance. She finished the piece of fruit quickly, but decided to hold off on eating more until after she knows that the ship is away from the harbor.

She waiting silently in the barrel, getting antsy with anticipation to leave these wretched docks. She couldn't leave soon enough in her mind. She heard people marching and men barking orders overhead. Only when she heard the chugging from the ship's engines did she begin to relax. She let out a sigh of relief and let herself lean completely on the side of the barrel as the ship began to move. She was finally getting away from the encampment, and away from Commander Zhao. She didn't know if she just jumped from one frying pan to the next so-to-speak, but whatever situation she finds herself in here would be better than the previous one. She hoped that this ship will be going back to the Earth Kingdom, but she couldn't be certain. Wherever the ship stops next will be her official point to debark the ship, that's for sure. She just had to be sneaky, and keep out of sight until such a time. She gripped her boulder opal necklace tightly and whispered a silent prayer that the next steps will get her closer to home and back to the life she knew.

 **Hey guys! Here is another LOOONNGG chapter. I hope you all are pleased, because I did put a lot of effort into this one! This is the longest chapter yet I do believe, so it won't be too bad if it's a bit shorter during exam season starting next week, right guys? I will still post, don't worry! Just might be a bit shorter with the last bits of work to be done with my classes. Please give me your thoughts in reviews because every comment helps me and Rei's adventures, and be sure to follow if you like what you see! Have a good week, my lovelies! X**


	8. Chapter 8 - Stowaway

The ship swayed from side to side, the ocean acting like a cradle rocking a child to sleep. It would be quite soothing if Rei wasn't feeling nauseous. She thought that the trip would be somewhat similar to her trip on Commander Zhao's ship but this was not the case. Considering that Zuko's ship was on a much smaller scale than Zhao's, the ocean was much harsher on the smaller vessel. Not only that, but being in the constant company of crushed fruit attracting flies leaves a sickly sweet smell in the air. It took most of Rei's strength to keep from puking. She wished that she could step out of the barrel for just a minute, but she couldn't risk being discovered by the ship's crew. She's been cooped up in this barrel for hours now, unable to move around or sit comfortably in the slightest. She wondered what life was like for the crew stomping around above her. Were they excited for the work day to be over? Did they work for families they left back home? Did they feel just as homesick as she did? Rei held her boulder opal necklace tightly between both of her hands, hoping that her family was safe wherever they were. Even though she felt trapped in this situation, she held onto the hope that she would see her family again soon.

Rei used her airbending to listen in on some of the nearby conversations, to find any indication on when the next stop would be, but she hasn't gotten any useful information. Some of the crew complained about pickled fish, others were excited for music night of all things. She could already tell that it was going to be a long trip.

Rei wondered how long she could stay in one place before someone would be coming down below deck. Most of the things in storage with her were food items like potatoes, leeks and rice, so she thought that she had at least a few more hours until meal time calls for food retrieval. The big question is where else would she hide? Considering that she was on a small vessel, there wasn't many options for hiding places. Maybe there was a spare storage room or spacious armory nearby? Rei couldn't know for sure, but she did know that she would need to move at some point. She decided to take the risk and pop her head out of the barrel to look around.

Rei quietly twists the top off of the barrel and slowly raises her head. The room around her was dimly lit with hanging lanterns. There were many boxes stacked on top of one another while barrels were strewn around the room in small groups. There was only one entrance in front of her; an open corridor leading to a staircase. She remembered that there was a small cellar-like door at the top of the stairs, so she could tell when someone enters the room. She decided to take a firm step out of the barrel and stretch her legs. It felt incredibly good to just be standing out of that barrel, let alone being able to stretch out. She let out a low moan of satisfaction, then walked around silently. She brushed off some of the fruit that stuck to her legs from the barrel, letting the debris fall to the floor.

Rei felt dirty, sticky with fruit juices and dust. She would kill to have a nice bath right now. She remembered the bath tub at home; a smooth tub made of granite. She remembered the day that her father and brother brought the big slab of rock home with their earth bending. It was enormous, almost three times her size at the time. She ran towards the two men when they got home and stared at the rock in awe.

"Whoa!" She cried. "That's huge! But, why did you bring a rock home, daddy?"

Her father chuckled and padded the rock. "It isn't just any rock, my little Rei of sunshine. It's granite, and would make a fine bathtub for all of us."

Rei quirked her head to the side. "How would that be a bathtub? It has no hole to put water in, and it's too big to be in the house."

Her brother, Lee, stepped forward and rustled Rei's hair. "That's why we're going to sculpt it with earthbending."

"Would you like to watch, Rei?" Her father asked.

Rei bounced up and down while clapping her hands. "Yes, please!"

Rei watched in awe as her father and brother assumed their stances and began to chip away at the lump of rock. They worked more slowly than usual, presumably because sculpting is a much more delicate procedure than flinging rocks around. She'd always been excited to see her father and brother earthbend. It was always such a magical spectacle to see rock bow down to them with ease. Sometimes she'd be jealous that her brother could bend but she never could, but Lee would always try to include her as much as possible. The two men's movements were slow and thought-out, with sudden jabs of motions. Her father's dark brown hair fell down to his shoulder as he worked, but he didn't seem to notice as his concentration was based solely on his earthbending. Lee showed just as much concentration, but breaking it once to give Rei a quick wink. Rei was mesmerized by their movements, flowing so smoothly like water in a stream. She wished that she could move like that.

Rei snapped back to the present, in the dark storage room. She thought back to her brother and father's movements and stances, and realized that she could move like that. They moved with such finesse and grace, much like water or air. She spread her legs to assume their stance and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and began to move her arms in a fluid motion, bending the air around her. She imagined that she was moving in-sync with her father and brother, all chipping away at the granite slab together. For a brief moment, she felt at home and happy. But the stance felt…off with her airbending. She tried to make the movements match those of her father, but the motions didn't match with airbending. She opened her eyes and suddenly realized that she couldn't bend like her father or brother. She was an airbender, not an earthbender. She could not match their movements and bend like they do. She couldn't join them and move as one. This realization crushed her. She let her arms fall down to her sides, and slumped the wall. She wasn't like her father, or her brother. She was an airbender, so she needed to learn different moves and different stances. But everyone who could teach her are dead. _All except the Avatar_ , she mused.

Suddenly, Rei heard a loud creak from the entrance door. She jumped away from the wall and hid behind a group of barrels. Footsteps sounded from the staircase coming towards her. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to keep her breathing as quiet as she possibly could. She heard the footsteps reach the bottom of the stairs, the floor creaking underneath the weight of this unknown person. Rei's heart seemed to pound out of her chest, begging to fly out and away. The unknown person walked around to the side of the room, towards the barrel Rei was in. Rei pepped around her hiding place and saw the man dressed in a fire nation soldier uniform inspecting the barrel. The floor creaked underneath her, which prompted the man to whip around in her direction.

"Who's there?" A male voice called.

Rei quickly turned back to hide behind the barrels again. Her breathing quickened, hands getting sweaty from panic. She heard footsteps getting closer and closer to her hiding spot. The footsteps got slower, each step stomping louder on the metal floor until the man was right behind her. She heard the man place a hand on the barrel. For a brief moment, Rei's breathing stopped. Just before the man could peer behind the barrel, Rei made a run for it.

Rei pushed the barrel down, knocking the man to the ground. She ran up the stairs as quickly as she possibly could and out into the sunlight. The light so blinding that Rei had to shield her eyes with her arm. When her vision adapted to the light, she saw a bunch of soldiers stopped and staring in her direction. She felt like a meadow vole in the face of a rockalanche, frozen in fear. The soldiers looked as if they were as dumbfounded as she was, until a voice emitted from the storage room.

"Stop the stowaway!" A male voice screamed.

 _Oh shit…_

The soldiers on the main deck all ran towards Rei. Some lowered spears and others assumed their offensive firebending stances. Rei ran towards the far end of the ship, but was confronted by another group of soldiers. Quickly, Rei found herself surrounded by firebenders and other soldiers. She didn't want to expose herself as an airbender, but if the situation called for it, she would use her bending to defend herself. As the soldiers got closer, Rei readied herself for a fight. Just as she assumed her stance, she heard a familiar voice.

"What is going on here?"

Rei turned towards the source of this voice and found the teenager known as Zuko. His face was scrunched into an offended glare, hands in fists at his sides. His hair was still in his weird ponytail, and he bore a dark red and black military uniform that differed from the other soldiers. His eyes burned into Rei, but she didn't feel that his eyes themselves are that fiery. His eyes were golden, and even though his expression was full of anger and frustration, his eyes hid a small bit of warmth. He stepped forward through the circle of soldiers until he was right in front of her. They stared at each other for a moment, sizing each other up. Rei also noticed the older man that accompanied Zuko step forward, just behind his nephew. She noticed that Zuko looked like he was expecting something since he stared intently at her.

"What?" Rei asked.

"Who are you?" Zuko growled as he inched closer to her. "And what are you doing on my ship?"

"Well, I could ask you the same thing!" Rei shouted back, poking the prince's chest. She didn't know what else to say. Zuko took a step back and the accompanying crew members all shot Rei confused glances. "It wouldn't make any sense, but I could!"

Zuko brushed off imaginary dirt from where Rei poked at his chest. His eyebrows furrowed and he glared in Rei's direction. "Who…are you?"

Suddenly, the older man known as Iroh stepped in between the two teenagers. He placed on hand on each of their shoulders, pushing them away from one another.

"Easy, you two." He urged. "We are all tired from being at sea all day. Perhaps this conversation should take place inside, where we can all relax over a nice cup of tea."

Zuko was not at all pleased with this idea. "Uncle! We don't offer tea to filthy trespassers!"

Rei crossed her arms and shot a cold glare towards Zuko. "Well you're not smelling that pleasant from here either, pony boy."

"Pony boy?!" Zuko pressed up against his uncle's hand, which still served as a barricade between them.

"Prince Zuko, that's enough!" Iroh uttered sternly. He removed his hands and folded them together, hiding within his long sleeves. "Now, let's all calm down and head inside to discuss this situation further."

Zuko's nostrils flared, smoke hissing out of his nose. He flung his arms out to his sides in frustration while sending out an arc of flame. He stomped off towards the housing section of the ship, leaving Rei and Iroh in the center of the main deck. She glanced over to the old man, who was smiling back at her in assurance.

"My nephew may be hot-headed at times, but I can assure you that he is an exceptional young man."

Rei snorted. "As long as he doesn't blow his steam at me, I'm fine with pony boy over there."

Iroh chuckled. "I've never heard that nickname before. Speaking of names, I am Iroh." He bowed.

"I'm Rei." She said, bowing back.

"A lovely name for a lovely young lady." He smiled. He gestured towards the housing section of the ship, indicating for her to follow.

Rei followed behind the kind man, gazing all around her. The crew kept staring after the pair as they walked across the main deck. She hadn't noticed that these soldier didn't bear the skull masks that Zhao's men did. This gave the men more humanity, giving them a face made them seem more like people. Just seeing the soldiers' confused faces somehow made Rei feel a little bit less on-edge. She continued trailing after Iroh as they entered the main housing section of the ship. He led Rei to a nearby room, where he gestured for her to enter.

"There is a fresh set of clothes for you in here, and you can also take your time to clean up." Iroh said. He eyed her for a brief moment before continuing with a smile. "My nephew and I will be waiting just across the hall, where we can all calmly discuss everything over a nice cup of tea."

Rei nodded and gave him a thankful smile. She enters the room where she found a small bed and a wash basin on the sides of the room. On the bed lay a fresh set of fire nation clothes, which she eagerly changes into. She walks over to the wash basin and is shocked by what she saw. She saw a young girl, with wild sections of matted hair separate from a messed-up braid. There was dirt and grime all over her face. The thing that shocked her the most was the large burn mark in the shape of a large hand on her neck. She reached her hand up to the burn mark, gingerly touching it. It looked as if a giant red-hot hand grabbed her by the neck. She didn't realize that the burn was that prominent in size and shape. She thought back to the man that gave her that mark, how he terrorized her with mind games and general aggression. She remembered how she feared for her life when she was dragged down the commander's ship's corridors, not knowing what was going to happen to her. She looked at the broken, scared girl in the mirror and decided no. She flushed her face with water and started to wash her face. No, she wasn't going to be afraid anymore. She untied her hair and began to brush through it with her fingers. She wasn't going to back down no matter what. She re-tied her hair in a half-up and half-down hairstyle, and looked at her reflection. She saw a strong woman, someone who wasn't going to take any more shit. She was going to survive, no matter what else is thrown her way. She was going home.

 **Hey all! I hope you guys liked this chapter. Did you like the ponyboy nickname? I thought it was pretty cute with his ponytail and all! I really do want to take my time with this story too, so please rate and favourite this story if you like what you see because every review helps with my writing! Have a great week, lovelies! X**


	9. Chapter 9 - Discussion

Rei examined herself in the mirror. She could barely recognize herself, all dressed in fire nation colours. Though the clothing was foreign to her, it actually looked incredibly good on her. The dark red and black patterns worked well with her dark brown hair and ivory skin, not to mention it hugged her curves just the right way. It felt a bit awkward wearing an enemy nation's colors, but she didn't have much choice with her regular clothes all dirty. She hesitated going straight to the meeting with Zuko and Iroh after getting dressed since she had to do a lot of explaining that she wasn't looking forward to. She wanted to hide the fact that she's an airbender, and wanted to do everything in her power to keep it hidden for as long as possible. She already had Zhao breathing down her neck and did NOT want anything like that happening again any time soon. Even though she was a good distance away from the cruel commander, she felt that she hadn't seen the last of Zhao. But what would she tell Zuko, who was waiting in the next room? "Oh hey! Zhao burned down my village and took me, a random girl, for no apparent reason"?

 _Ugh…_

Rei knew she couldn't stall for much longer. She took one last look at herself in the mirror. She thought that she would be nervous going to see Zuko and Iroh, but even though her head still buzzed with possible explanations to tell them, she was surprisingly calm. She had just decided that she wasn't going to take any crap, and that's precisely what she'll do. She was driven to stand her ground, to look at Zuko dead in the eyes and not give in. She gave herself a look of determination and marched towards the door.

Two fire nation guards awaited Rei, blocking any path down the hallway except the path towards the door in front of her. The two guards gave her a side-eyed look as she stepped forward, keeping her head high. One of the guards pulled the door open, letting Rei pass by. She saw Iroh and Zuko sitting at the table on the floor. Iroh gave Rei a welcoming smile as he was pouring tea into their cups. Zuko sat with his arms crossed against his chest, his face still scrunched up in a scowl. He glared up at Rei and she could swear that she saw flames blazing in his eyes. Rei had a quick moment of hesitation, but boldly stared right back into the angsty teen's eyes as she sat down at the table. Iroh passed a cup of tea in Rei's direction, who accepted it gratefully. The tea smelled delicious, with hints of sweet berries and spices, like a berry cider. As she drank it, she could feel the heat from the tea warming her insides. She let out a sigh, and turned to Iroh.

"Thank you for the tea." Rei thanked. "I didn't expect any kind of hospitality."

"And you shouldn't." Zuko growled.

"Now Zuko, it is no trouble." Iroh replied, giving Zuko a side-eyed glance. "A nice, hot beverage and quiet setting is essential for calm discussion."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence between the three persons. Zuko continued to glare in Rei's direction as Rei's eyes darted from Zuko to Iroh. Iroh cleared his throat to clear the air.

"So, a formal introduction is in order. I am Iroh, as I have told you earlier," he gestured in Zuko's direction. "…and this is my nephew, Prince Zuko of the fire nation."

Rei looked at Zuko, who had his chest puffed outwards slightly at the mention of his "title". "And I'm Rei." She responded.

Zuko slammed his hand onto the table. "I don't have time for this!" He leaned over the table and pointed at Rei. "What are you doing on my ship?"

Iroh took a sip of his tea. "From the looks of the burn mark on your neck, it would seem that you're running from someone." He looked in Rei's direction, his eyes showing warmth and a hint of concern. "Who are you running from, Rei?"

Rei's hand went up to her burn mark instinctively. It appeared that Zuko didn't take much notice of the mark beforehand since at its mention, the muscles in his face retracted to show a mixture of surprise and confusion. He laid back to a sitting position and awaited Rei's response.

"Yes, I was trying to get away from someone." Rei started slowly, her hands clutching her teacup. "I…was taken after my village was attacked by a group of fire nation soldiers, led by a man I learned to be named Commander Zhao."

Rei saw Zuko's fists clench at the mention of Zhao's name. She heard Zuko mutter Zhao's name under his breath as his mouth convulsed into a sneer. Iroh placed his teacup back down onto the table and turned fully in Rei's direction. Iroh gave her a reassuring grin before Rei continued.

"They were looking for earthbenders in the village, who were all taken away since earthbending was deemed illegal…They were also looking for information about a rebel group that was being organized by those who escaped the fire nation's grasp. I surrendered myself so that the rest of the village could be spared." Rei stopped for a moment, and took a shaky breath. "When Zhao interrogated me, he used…unorthodox approaches. He got really mad and decided to give me a burn mark as a punishment. I didn't know if he was going to kill me or not, but that was when your ship came into the harbor."

Zuko looked downwards to the side of the room, away from Rei's face. Iroh was stroking his beard and listened intently to every word of Rei's story with great interest…or in deep questioning of her words, Rei couldn't tell which from the thoughtful look on his face. Rei continued her monologue.

"When I heard about the Agni Kai, I knew that most people would be distracted and that it best time to escape. I snuck out to the Agni Kai arena and out to the harbour where I snuck onto your ship with the loading crew. I also got to witness some of the Agni Kai…" Rei glanced at Zuko, who looked up at her in response.

"You were pretty good, by the way." She added quietly.

Zuko shuffled uncomfortably, his arms still locked across his chest. "Thanks…" He mumbled.

Iroh cradled his teacup and eyed Rei curiously. "So, you were interrogated for information about an earthbender rebel group. Were you a bender yourself?"

Rei's heartbeat sped up. "No… I've never been able to earthbend like my brother and father. I'd watch them, but never could do it myself."

Iroh's eyebrow rose inquisitively, but didn't speak. Zuko gazed at her from across the table, silent and stern as stone. Rei looked down and twiddled her fingers around her teacup in the awkward silence. A few seconds pass before Rei starts up again.

"Look…" She started, flexing her fingers. "I just want to go home. I want to just go home and pretend that this never happened."

"Well that would be difficult with the fire nation following you." Iroh said, taking a sip of tea.

"What are you talking about?" Rei asked uneasily.

"With you escaping from a fire nation encampment, Zhao's encampment no less, he will see that as an insult and send out warrants for your capture." Iroh elaborated. "With Zhao focusing on bigger tasks however, it'll be the foot soldier patrols who will look for you but it'll be a threat nonetheless."

"What? So I'm on the run forever?" Rei replied, laced with frustration. "I'm just stuck here?"

"Not on my ship." Zuko grunted, leaning forward aggressively.

"For the time being, yes you are stuck here." Iroh said, eyeing Zuko. "Whether we like it or not."

Zuko jumped up. "Why do we need to keep her? This is _**my**_ ship! We should just throw her off and be done with it!" Zuko yelled.

"I'd love to see you try, Ponyboy." Rei growled.

"That's enough!" Iroh said sternly. "For the time being, Rei will stay here with us. We can discuss this further when we are near the next port."

Smoke seeped out of Zuko's nostrils. Zuko kicked the table angrily, spilling his tea all over table and floor. He stomped off without another word and slammed the door, leaving Rei and Iroh alone holding their teacups.

"Hothead." Rei muttered, finishing the last of her tea.

"Please excuse my nephew, he has a lot on his mind at this time." Iroh apologized.

"Like capturing the Avatar." Rei said absently.

"Oh, so you've heard." Iroh stroked his beard.

"Uh, yeah." Rei caught herself. "It was hard not to hear of it with Zuko yelling about his hunt for the Avatar with Zhao."

"Hmm…" Iroh pondered for a moment, then proceeded. "Well, now that you are with us for the time being, you will act as a member of the crew. So, you will have duties such as cleaning the deck and such. You will have meals with the rest of the crew down below, and you may use the room you were in before to sleep."

"Sounds fair." Rei replied.

Rei and Iroh stood up and bowed to each other. "Thank you for the tea, it was delicious." Rei thanked.

"Not a problem, my dear." Iroh smiled. "Feel free to drop by anytime. For now, you should report to Pho-Jin on the main deck for your duties."

Rei thanked Iroh again and left the room, where Iroh still stood stroking his beard inquisitively. Rei found herself once again in the hallway, but the two guards that were there previously were gone. _They probably got orders to do other things_ , Rei thought. She walked past the room that was deemed "hers" and and down the hall. The hallways were dark and dimly lit with red lanterns so it was a bit hard to see. She wondered how it was the slightest bit efficient to have such dimly lit hallways in fire navy ships. She wouldn't be surprised if people would trip over themselves on their day-to-day in the halls.

She couldn't believe how much she lied during the past conversation. She didn't deem herself a storyteller, but boy did she spin a good story back there. She just hoped that it was believable for the time being until she's able to escape from the ship.

Instead of going straight towards the main deck, Rei decided to explore some of the ship a bit more. She padded her way down the halls, looking at the various doors that dotted the walls. Most of the side rooms looked as if they were just barracks for the rest of the crew so there wasn't too much variety to explore. However, as she traveled further down the hall, she neared a door that was slightly ajar. The door let out a ray of yellowish-red light into the hall, peeking Rei's interest. Rei felt a tingle in her head as Sora's voice echoed in her mind.

 _Be cautious Rei_ …

Rei shook her head, pretty confidant that she didn't have much to fear here. As she approached the stream of light, Rei heard shuffling from the room which prompted her to stop in her tracks. She tensed up, but curiosity got the best of her and so, she tiptoed closer to the door. As she peered through the crack in the door, she could make out the furnishings of a large bedroom. There was a bed in far corner of the room, also a desk and large map on the other side of the room. As she gazed around the room, she realized that the individual shuffling around was Zuko.

Zuko paced slowly across the room, apparently deep in thought. He had one hand up to his mouth and the other across his chest, as if he was hugging himself for comfort. His face was scrunched up in an expression of frustration laced with something else...exasperation? Worry? Sadness? Perhaps it was a mix of all these emotions, Rei couldn't tell. But something in the young man's face made her feel...sorry for him? Zuko stopped pacing in front of the large map near his desk, and gazed up at it. He reached his hand out and placed it on the fire nation capital on the map, and let his head droop downwards slightly. _Maybe he's as homesick as I am_ , Rei thought as she held her necklace in her hand. The more she thought of Zuko, the more she began to question. For a prince, he didn't seem to have much of an entourage. His ship wasn't even a fraction of the size of Zhao's ship, and he was just a commander. Why was the prince of the fire nation so far away from home in such a small vessel?

Rei must have made an unconscious noise because Zuko suddenly whipped his head around in her direction. Rei shrunk back but could not hide herself from the fuming teen stomping in her direction. Zuko kicked the door open, revealing Rei's position. Rei let out a quick yelp in surprise and found herself face-to-face with Zuko, who did not look at all happy with her being there.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Zuko questioned.

"I'm sorry! I...got lost!" Rei stammered.

"How the hell did you…" Zuko sighed in exasperation and scrunched the bridge of his nose with one hand, pointing behind Rei with the other hand. "Forget it, the main deck is back that way."

"Ok, thanks." Rei quickly padded away, but stopped briefly to look back.

Zuko looked up at her with a weirded-out look on his face before shutting his door. Rei couldn't decide how she felt about this young prince, but one thing she knew was that there was more to him that met the eye. The teenager could prove to be either a friend or a foe at this point, which makes Rei happy that her secret was still safe for now. She knew she couldn't keep her bending a secret forever, but hopefully she could get off the ship at the next stop before she could be exposed. She almost forgot about meeting the man on the main deck...Pho-Jin was it? She walked away from Zuko's room towards the main deck, ready to face the next chapter of her adventure.

 **Hey guys! I'm not dead! Yay! I'm so sorry I disappeared for what, a month? With finals, starting my job and cosplaying for comic con, it's been a helluva time in my world I can tell you that. I will get back to my more regular updates soon, I promise! After this weekend, I should have my stabilized schedule back so woohoo! Thank you so much for the new favourites and followers to this story, you guys make me smile and want to keep going with this story. I have plenty of ideas for later in the game so stay tuned and have a good week my lovelies! X**


	10. Chapter 10 - Training

After her tense encounter with the Prince of teenage angst, Rei quickly made her way towards the main deck of the ship. She did have a brief flicker of hope that she could find common ground with the teenager in regards of being homesick or something of the like, but that hope died quickly with the interaction that followed. Oh well. Rei just had to keep from stepping on the young prince's toes then she should be fine.

As she walked down the hallway however, she had a sudden realization that made her stop in her tracks. She was in a situation of terrible magnitude. She was already tripping over the fire nation's toes. She's been captured twice by the fire nation so far and already bore a blistering wound from them. She was in the belly of the beast, surrounded by those who would most likely kill her in the blink of an eye if they knew her secret. She didn't get that vibe from Iroh but his nephew on the other hand, she didn't know what he's capable of. _Oh shit, what did I get myself into_? Rei started to feel hot and sweated profusely. This sudden onset of stress also started to make Rei feel queasy, which prompted her to lean one arm into the side of the hall and wrap the other arm around her stomach. How did she think that she could possibly escape with all the soldiers around her? Sure, she had Sora with her but she didn't even know what that meant for her in this situation. Rei groaned and slumped her head downwards as she leaned more into the metallic wall. She closed her eyes and mentally called out for Sora, who appeared in front of her in a blue haze and smiling down at her.

"Sora, what do I do?" Rei asked, exasperated. "I'm in some deep shit right now and I don't know what to do."

Sora placed an ethereal hand on Rei's shoulder. "First, you must breathe."

"Breathing is the least of my problems at the moment." Rei gasped, trying to keep her voice low to not be heard. "I'm on a ship full of fire nation soldiers and royalty. How can I get out of here?"

"Perhaps you shouldn't focus on what's outside, but the opportunities present here." Sora replied.

"What?" Rei swatted away Sora's hand with her arm, which passed through Sora like smoke. "When I'm freaking out is not the time to speak in riddles. Just spit it out."

"This is the time to be patient and observed." Sora explained. "Look around you, be vigilant and learn from what you see."

"So you're basically saying the same thing they said back there, that I'm stuck here?" Rei shot.

Sora's eyes showed a glimmer of concern. "My child, if you rush out into the world, you will be rushed back into the cell you just escaped from."

Rei huffed. "So I'm stuck on a ship full of firebenders with no idea how to airbend." Rei paused. "Can't you teach me how to airbend? Aren't you a spirit of air or something?"

Sora hesitated, and backed away slightly. "Yes I'm a spirit, but spirits do not follow the same ways of bending as you. Our power is raw, and cannot be channeled through traditional bending techniques."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Rei questioned. "Raw power sounds like a good thing to have to defend myself."

Sora sighed. "Consider a typhoon. It is a raw power of air, but one cannot have full control over it. One cannot bend a typhoon to their whim, and can easily harm one's self more than their enemies."

Rei slumped down against the wall. "So you can't help me at all."

"You can help yourself, my child, and I will guide you." Sora moved closer in front of Rei, and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "I will always be here to offer you guidance."

With that, Sora dissipated into thin air, leaving a frustrated Rei to decipher her words. _Some guidance you've provided_ … Rei thought sarcastically. She tapped her fingers on the wall behind her for a few brief moments, considering what to do next. She pushed herself off of the wall and started towards the door to the main deck down the hall. She didn't realize how big and complicated the door was until she was right in front of it. The door was held shut by a crank, which required a considerable amount of effort to release. The crank was slightly rusted, which probably made the action more difficult than it needed to be. Finally, Rei pried the door open and stepped out onto the main deck.

Rei was temporarily blinded by the sudden stream of sunlight shining down in her eyes. She instinctively shielded her eyes with her forearm to allow her to adjust to the light. When she was properly adjusted, Rei gazed out at the main deck which was busy with life. Some fire nation soldiers were mopping the floors while others did other various things such as patrolling, scouting in the crow's nest or practicing firebending on the sides of the ship. Amongst the sounds of activity on deck was the sound of waves crashing into the side of the ship, sending sprays of salt into the air. Rei jolted at the hiss of nearby firebending, feeling its warmth traverse through the air by her. She looked in the direction from which the stream of warmth came and saw the fire nation soldier looking quizzically at her. She quickly looked away and walked towards the end of the main deck.

Rei noticed that not many of the soldiers bore the skull mask, like their counterparts who served under commander Zhao. Actually, some of them didn't wear any helmet at all and let their faces be visible. The majority of the men seemed older than Rei would have assumed to be accompanying the prince of the fire nation, closer to being old comrades of Iroh than anything. Perhaps they followed Iroh more than Zuko at this point in time. All Rei knew however that these soldiers were all turning to watch her one by one as she made walked by. Rei could feel all of their eyes on her, and pulled her arms tightly around herself for comfort. She noticed one man who got up from the sidelines and start to approach her. Rei stopped in her tracks and allowed the man to approach and meeting at the middle of the deck.

The man had short light grey hair and a beard, which curved around the edges of his jawline and around his mouth. He had a neutral expression on his face, which bore a few lines of wrinkles especially around his mouth. From where he stood, he seemed to be almost a head taller than Zuko, which meant that he towered over Rei. When the two finally met, Rei had to lean her head slightly to look at his face. The man looked down at Rei and let out a quick "hmph".

"So you're the stowaway that knocked me over earlier." He stated.

Rei realized that this must be the soldier that found her hiding spot a few hours earlier. "Oh, that was you. Sorry about that, I hope I didn't cause you any harm…" She replied shyly.

"I was just surprised is all. Didn't expect someone to bolt out of the barrels at me." The man looked around at the surrounding soldier on deck, who all seemed to stop what they were doing to look at the pair.

"What are you all lookin' at? Back to work!" He shouted. The crew members all jolted and went straight back to the tasks they were doing previously. The man cleared his throat and looked back to Rei. "General Iroh said you would be coming to me for work. You took long enough to get here."

"Oh, you're Pho-Jin then?" Rei asked. "I'm Rei."

"Yeah, yeah." Pho-Jin waved her away dismissively. "We've got a lot of work to do before training begins."

"Training?" Rei was puzzled.

"Prince Zuko trains with General Iroh soon, and goes until dusk. The deck has to be spotless for then." Pho-Jin pointed to a nearby mop and bucket. "Now get scrubbing."

Rei brought her hand up and gave a quick salute in acknowledgement before proceeding to the mop bucket. She took a mop in hand and proceeded to wash the deck. There were a few other soldiers doing the same thing on different parts of the deck, so she hoped that the job would be done quickly. When she looked down at the deck, she then realized how dirty it actually was. There was scorch marks and soot all over the place, presumably from the firebending training. Footprints dotted the deck which made the deck look like one big map to everywhere and nowhere all at once. Rei sighed and got to work at cleaning her assigned spot. She cleaned furiously with the mop and in certain areas, she had to get down on all fours and scrub viciously with a sponge. Finally, after some time, Rei got the deck to look somewhat decent before Pho-Jin stepped towards her.

"That'll have to do for now. The training is about to start so you need get out of the way." He said.

"Could I watch from the side? I've never really seen much professional bending." Rei asked.

"Fine, just stay out of the way." Pho-Jin sighed and signaled for another group of fire nation soldier to join him in a line in front of the housing section of the ship.

Rei awaited at the side of the ship for the training to begin. She saw Zuko step out of the bowels of the housing section of the ship dressed in his usual armor with Iroh trailing behind. The fire nation soldiers all bowed before following behind Zuko and getting in a square-like formation around the prince. Iroh sat down cross-legged about ten feet behind Zuko with the palms of his hands resting on his knees. Zuko stepped into his offensive stance with his arms outstretched in front of him, still as stone. The soldiers surrounding him all stood in their respective offensive stances, with Pho-Jin standing on the side overseeing them with Iroh. The air was charged with tension, and it seemed that the entire ship held its breath. All of this changed when Iroh said "Begin.".

The fire nation soldiers all shot fire straight at Zuko, who deflected it with ease. Zuko's deflection of fire sent most of the soldiers staggering backwards, which gave him a distinct advantage. Zuko sent two streams of fire flying out of his hands in opposite directions, dealing with the bulk of his opponents on his far sides. One soldier on his left side sent a fire punch towards Zuko, which Zuko ducked out of the way. A soldier on his other side sent another fire punch flying Zuko's way, where Zuko jumped over it and bent fire from his leg and arm towards the two soldiers he focused on. Zuko landed swiftly on his feet, reaching his arms to his two opponents. Rei was in awe staring at the impressive fire bending moves. Zuko started off at a clear disadvantage, fighting many enemies at once but lands on his feet with the upper hand. But apparently Iroh was not nearly as impressed as Rei was.

"No! Firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles!" Iroh began, standing up. "Breath becomes energy, and that energy extends past your limbs and becomes…" Iroh let out a strong fire punch, which hissed as fiercely as a dragon's breath. "Fire. Do it again."

There, Rei watched as Zuko repeated the drill time after time. With every practice, Zuko honed his skills to a razor point. He jumped higher, landed softer, reacted faster, but didn't seem to get the concept of breath as well as he should. Rei could see that his rage influenced his inclination for body over breath, which was a specific hinderance on his abilities. Finally, Zuko seemed like he's had enough.

"I've been repeating these drills for long enough, Uncle! I'm done with these mundane tests!" Zuko puffed. "I'm ready for the next set!"

"Prince Zuko, you still have to master your basics. You're still using your muscles instead of your breath!" Iroh sighed. "We have trained long enough for today, we will resume tomorrow."

With that, Zuko stomped off back into the bowels of the ship. Iroh let out a long sigh and shared a bow with the exhausted fire nation soldiers around him before following his nephew. The group of soldiers passed below deck, presumably to change or get some food. Rei was left on the deck, processing all of the firebending techniques she's just witnessed. She was happy that she got to witness the training exercise, she learned so much just from watching. Rei felt so tempted to try out the moves right then and there but realized that she was still in enemy territory, so it would not be wise to do so just yet. Rei looked over the side of the ship and stared into the sunset. The sky seemed to be bleeding, with red and dark orange pigments dancing in the landscape. The light of day was slowly dying and being replaced by a subtle darkness laced with stars. It was a strange sight to see, like seeing the death of something bright and beautiful and being replaced by a slow darkness. The stars dotting the night sky kept glimmers of hope alive, the hope of seeing the light of day emerge once more. This reminded Rei of the events of her recent past, being the burning of her village and subsequent capture. Rei felt a twinge of fear but also hope in terms of her current situation. The life she's known for so long has been disrupted in a blaze of violence and fear, but her escape from Zhao onto a new ship gave her the hope of finding her life once more. However long the night might reign, the stars live on and give her hope.

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 **Hey guys! I'm now trying to get back onto my updating schedule, and hopefully shouldn't be disrupted as much anymore! I don't know how I came up with the name Pho-Jin for this new character, but I just woke up one morning and said "Pho-Jin will be that guy I've been thinking of introducing". Thank you so much for all the new favourites and story follows! Please please please review and favourite if you like what you see and don't worry, I take no offense to constructive criticism! If I don't get it, how can I get better right? I love comments on how to improve and you guys' inner thoughts about my writing, so please keep them coming and I'll see you lovelies next week! X**


	11. Chapter 11- Mess Hall

The sun finally set over the horizon, leaving the sky dark and sparkling with stars. Rei had never seen the night sky at sea before, and didn't expect it to be any different but it was just that. There was a certain feeling Rei couldn't shake, a feeling of such tranquility that she hasn't felt in a long time. Rei closed her eyes and took a deep breath of cool, salty air. Rei was unexpectedly jolted out of her trance-like state of tranquility when she felt a rough tap on her shoulder. Rei yelped and jumped around, her arms raised in a defensive position. Rei sees an unfamiliar man, who looked incredibly weirded-out by her reaction.

"Uh… It's meal time in the mess hall. You should get down there if you have no other duties right now." The man said, pointing to the door to the housing section of the ship.

"Oh-Okay, I-I'll do that." Rei stammered.

Rei looked down towards the floor and quickly made her way to the mess hall, tucking some hair behind her ear instinctively. Ever since her mental breakdown earlier in the day, she's been on edge about being surrounded by fire nation at every turn. Even during her one moment of peace, she nearly jumped out of her skin from a simple tap on the shoulder. Her being on edge is attracting attention and awkward stares, Rei knew this. She had to blend in with her new crewmates, but such a task could be comparable to assimilating with a pack of saber-toothed mooselions in Rei's humble opinion. Rei opened the humongous steel-plated door to the housing section of the ship, and stopped once inside. She looked around, not exactly sure where the mess hall was. The sound of chattering led Rei down the hall to the right into a large room.

The mess hall was a large room filled with a few long tables and benches. The room was full of crew members, though no more than 25 sat at the long tables. The crew gathered in their respective groups and were talking amongst themselves. There was a lineup on the far side of the room for food, which appeared to be a noodle dish tonight. The warm smell of noodles made Rei's stomach gurgle, and also made her realize she hasn't had anything to eat since the piece of fruit and tea earlier that day. Rei made her way down to the lineup, noticing that she was making a couple of heads turn towards her. Come to think of it, Rei hasn't seen any other girls on the ship so that's probably the initial reason for that. She stands awkwardly in line, crossing one arm across her chest and holding her other arm. As she was waiting, Rei quickly scanned the room. She saw an opening amongst a smaller group of people, where she decided she would move to once she had food. The lineup moved quickly and led Rei to a holding tray full of bowls of a noodle dish. The chef, who stood behind the counter, kept the holding tray warm by heating up some coals underneath the tray with some minor firebending. Rei took a bowl, which was a bit too hot for her hands but persevered to her chosen spot at one of the tables.

Rei approached the small group sitting at the table and sat down with her meal. The noodle dish seemed to consist of rice noodles, some turkeyduck broth and some miscellaneous vegetables. The meal looked and smelled delicious, so Rei took the first bite gratefully. She savoured the flavors which danced on her tongue, and let out a low moan of satisfaction. She heard a chuckle from her side, which prompted her to whip around. The chuckle came from a rather amused, portly soldier with a large brown mustache and shaggy brown hair.

"You really like noodles, don't you?" The man smirked.

Rei awkwardly slurped up her mouthful of noodles and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Yeah… I haven't eaten a hot meal in a while."

"You'll get sick of noodles soon enough, then I'll take what's left!" The man roared in laughter as he rubbed his large belly.

Rei laughed weakly, then took another mouthful of noodles. She looked around at the small group of people, and recognized Pho-Jin sitting across from Rei a few seats to the left, amongst three other unnamed men. One of these men looked quite sickened by the noodle dish and pushed his bowl towards the portly gentleman, who took it gratefully. The portly fellow sitting beside her gave her a little nudge with his elbow as his laughter subdued to a chuckle.

"What's a girl like you want to do with stowing away on a fire nation vessel, then?" He said, as he dove into another bowl of food.

"Ah…that's a long story, really." Rei replied, looking into her bowl.

"Oh leave her alone, Kugo. She'll be gone soon enough, so there's no need to know her life's story." Pho-Jin muttered, picking at his meal passively.

"Hey, there's no reason to not get friendly. It's been a while since I've seen a new face!" Kugo replied. He turned from his food and flashed Rei a big smile, with a noodle hanging out the corner of his mouth. "I'm Kugo, or others call he Huge-o, and for good reason!"

Rei grinned back. "I'm Rei, pleased to meet you…Also, you have something on your face." She replied, pointing to the corner of her mouth.

Kugo picked up the noodle on his face, and chomped down upon it, smacking his lips. "Oh, I'll never tire of noodles!"

One of the men groaned from across the table. "We've been at sea for almost two years…I'll be happy to never see another noodle or fish ever again."

"Two years?" Rei was surprised. "But the Avatar only came back recently. Isn't that why you guys are here?"

There was an uncomfortable silence, and even Kugo stopped eating briefly. The three unnamed men looked around awkwardly as Kugo looked into his bowl. Pho-Jin cleared his throat, which directly the attention to him.

"Prince Zuko was tasked with finding the Avatar to regain his honor, which at the time was an impossible objective since the Avatar hasn't been seen in a hundred years."

"How did he lose his honor?" Rei asked meekly.

Pho-Jin scraped at the bottom of his bowl. "We don't pry. Most of the men are here out of respect for General Iroh, and most of us served either with or under him before he retired. We follow Prince Zuko's orders, we do our jobs, no questions asked."

"No questions asked, huh?" Rei stirred her noodles passively, speaking in a low voice. "People die from blind following, you know."

Pho-Jin scoffed. "I seriously doubt our search for the Avatar is hurting anyone here."

"Tell that to the airbenders." Once again there was silence, and all the men in the small group turned towards her. Rei got uncomfortable under all the attention, and quickly recuperated her previous statement. "It's important to keep your own moral judgement, that's all I'm saying."

"Huh…You remind me of my daughter, Aimi." Pho-Jin muttered. "Very aware of her moral compass and doing what she believed was right."

"She sounds like a respectable young lady." Rei said with a small smile.

Pho-Jin cleared his throat once again, this time in discomfort rather than in drawing attention. He was possibly regretting mentioning his daughter at all from the looks of his awkward discomfort. Pho-Jin took his bowl and walked away from the table. Rei turned to Kugo, who was finishing the last of his meal.

"So…What do you guys normally do at this time?" She inquired.

"Well, there are nightly rounds that need to be performed. We're all on the first shift, so you can probably rest up for tomorrow." He said as he took one last gulp of his meal. "We do have music nights and Pai Sho games, so I can let you know when I see you."

The rest of the group gathered their dishes and pushed away from the table. Rei proceeded to do the same, and followed them to the designated zone for the dishes. When they finished cleaning up, Rei said her goodbyes to Kugo, who gave her a quick wink in salutation. Rei, not knowing what to do, decided to take a walk around the ship. Nighttime was in full effect, the sky dotted with stars and a bright, and full moon gazing down upon the lone ship. The ocean's waves chopped mildly on the ship's hull, cradling the small vessel like a mother rocking a babe to sleep. The air was laced with salt and cool, but not cold enough to cause discomfort. Rei walked away from the main deck and towards the back-end of the ship.

As she walked past the housing section, she heard a loud shout, most likely from the Prince of teenage angst. Rei chuckled, she was quite proud of that nickname. She turned her head towards the disturbance and yep, it was Zuko going bezerk over something or other. From what she could tell, he was upset that they had no idea where the avatar is, and that he was a master of evasive maneuvering. Rei chuckled at that, since more likely than not the Avatar just had no idea where he was going. She didn't blame him either, the world changes after a hundred years and some landmarks he would know possibly don't even exist anymore. She continued walking around the ship in any case, exploring every little nook and cranny.

Rei eventually found herself at the back-end of the ship, where a large tower-like structure stood tall behind the housing section. The tower overlooked the rest of the ship and out towards the sea. Rei could see that there was at least one person up on the top, but she couldn't see too much other than that. Between the tower and the housing section of the ship was a dark, covered area, which peaked Rei's interest. It acted like a small blind spot from the rest of the ship, being directly under the tower's observation deck. Rei walked under the covered area and surveyed around. She couldn't see anyone around and she was positive that no one could see her unless they were directly within her proximity. Rei bit on one of her nails, considering what she could do with such a blind spot. She hasn't practiced her bending in a bit, and to be quite honest, it was agonizing. She had once heard her brother mention this sort of pain, to not be able to bend for a while. She didn't understand him at the time, but now she knew the discomfort of containing a power that needed to be let out every now and then. It felt as if she was containing a serpent that with time, grew more and more impatient to be let out into the world. She took one last look around and decided "to hell with it".

Rei didn't know any airbending moves per se, but she was curious about the firebending moves she witnessed Zuko practicing. She figured that the moves and stances of firebending weren't that different from airbending, just with more anger. She squatted down into Zuko's stance and took a deep breath. She remembered Iroh's words, saying that power came from the breath. She took another breath in, and forcibly puffed it out. She continued this breathing practice for a few moments before proceeding through the motions. She gradually started to incorporate some movements in her practice, notably using her arms in an outstretched motion. She took a step forward as she punched the air in front of her, but no air came from it. She tried again, but failed once more. She continued to practice, and grew more frustrated with every failure. Finally, after many tries, she takes a final deep breath and reaches her arm out with a rough exhale of breath. The resulting motion produced a puff of hot air in front of her, which burned her hand slightly from the heat. She drew her arm back instinctively from the heat with a curse. Her hand burned, but she smiled in satisfaction for producing even one streak of hot air. She continues practicing her techniques, but managed to burn the palms of her hands even more. At the end of her session, her hands were streaked with angry burn marks that already began to swell.

Rei cradled her hands into her chest, and panted from the tiring practice. She decided that was enough training for the time being and proceeded walk away from her sacred blind spot. She looked around before emerging from the covered area, and quickly walked towards the housing section. She walked at a brisk pace, eager to get to her room as quickly as possible. She padded around the corner and right into another person. The two collided in a bump and nearly fell over from the force of the collision.

"Dammit, sorry!" Rei exclaimed instantly. "It's…It's so dark here, I can barely see."

"It is no trouble." The man replied, which Rei immediately recognized as Iroh from his voice. "What are you doing walking around in the dark?"

"Oh…" Rei started. "I…I was just doing some exploring on my free time before bed, the night sky is really pretty tonight."

"You must be careful exploring at night. You could easily fall off the edge of the ship." Iroh warned. He looked down at the hands Rei was cradling into her chest. "What happened to those hands?" He inquired.

"I uh, tripped and fell onto a hot pipe." She stuttered. "It happened while I was exploring inside."

Iroh reached out his hand. "May I look at it?" He asked.

Rei nodded and reached her hand into Iroh's. Iroh inspected Rei's hand with care, trying not to cause any discomfort. His hand was calloused and rough, but surprisingly delicate. Rei winced slightly as he traced his finger down the palm of her hand. He furrowed his eyebrows, and stayed on her hand for a brief moment before speaking.

"These burns are angry. You should run them in cold water and wrap them up before bed." He concluded, letting go of Rei's hand. "I have some ointment that would be of use, so why don't you join me for some tea tomorrow morning?"

"Thanks, that would be great." Rei replied.

Rei smiled at Iroh in gratitude before quickly walking around him towards the housing section. Iroh stayed in place, stroking his beard inquisitively. The door was ajar to the housing section, which Rei was grateful for. She didn't have the energy or the capacity for opening the enormous door at this time. She padded along the corridor to her room, turning the handle opening the door with her hip. She quickly made her way to the wash basin, and turned the tap for cold water all the way. She dipped her injured hands into the water, which burned of all things at first, but eventually ceased the pain. She left her hands in the water for about 10 minutes before taking them out. She looked around the room for something to bind her hands with, and managed to find some cloth in the nightstand beside her cot. She also noticed her earth nation clothes folded into a neat pile at the foot of her bed, which she was grateful for. She bound her hands in the cloth and tied them into a knot. It was much harder to wrap the second hand but she managed to do so after about five tries.

Rei sunk into the cot, placing her hands across her stomach and stared at the ceiling. Her hands still stung and throbbed from underneath the cloth, making them feel like beating hearts on the ends of her arms. She sighed and turned onto her side, placing her hands outstretched by her head. She was pretty sure no one saw her practicing, but Iroh looked suspiciously at her burn marks. She had to be more careful in the near future. She figured that this was also a problem for firebenders first starting out, getting burned by their own fire. She could ask Kugo or someone else how they started firebending and could play it off as general curiosity. All she knew was that she needed to exercise caution when airbending. She couldn't stop airbending, that's for sure. It was hard to explain, but for whatever reason she needed to continue airbending. It felt so…unnatural to just stop. She yawned and smacked her lips. Sleep was descending upon her due to sheer physical exhaustion. She closed her eyes, and prayed that tomorrow would be a good day.

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 **Hello once again! How do you guys like Kugo? I thought he was pretty cute to add, I actually just added him today believe it or not from a dream I had last night. If you guys liked this chapter, please review and follow this story to let me know! Every review helps me get better so review away! See you all next week! X**


	12. Chapter 12 - Nightmares of the Past

The loud rumble of thunder rose Rei from her unconscious thoughts. She opened her eyes and lifted herself into a seated upright position. She rubbed her drowsy eyes and stretched her arms out. She gazed around her room and was surprised to see that it was still enveloped in the darkness of night. However, the atmosphere had a tinge of a red hue, giving the room a darkened reddish look. Rei could feel in her gut that something wasn't right.

Suddenly, the ship groaned and rocked violently to one side as if it was hit by an enormous object. Rei was knocked backwards against the wall, hitting her head on the metallic surface. The wall rung out in a hollow thunk when Rei's head collided with it. Rei groaned and rubbed the back of her head to sooth the resulting painful throbbing. As she recovered from her rude awakening, Rei could hear sounds emitting from the outside corridor. There was panicked yelling laced with urgency and the stomping of boots as people ran by her door. Rei immediately jumps out of bed but is pulled back by her hand wrappings, which were caught on the edge of her cot. She fumbled with the wrappings on her hands from the night before and release them for whatever threat that lies ahead. The cloth wrappings fell to the floor, exposing her red hands. Rei's hands stung from exposure to the cool night air but she didn't have time to stop and think about the pain, so she quickly threw on her shoes and dashed out the door.

Rei felt as if she stepped dead-center into a warzone. The air echoed with terrified yelling and the hissing of steam leaking from broken pipes. Soldiers ran past her towards the main deck in a flood of panic. One man bumped into Rei as he was running, and looked back at her with a look of pure terror on his face. He continued running with the crowd towards the surface of the ship. The ship groaned once more and jerked to the other side, sending Rei and other soldiers flying to the other side of the ship. Rei slammed face-first into the metal floor, knocking the breath out of her lungs. She gasped for air, struggling to pick herself up from the unexpected fall. As she stood up, the other personnel were already on their feet and running towards the exit. Rei tried to get some of their attention, trying to get any information of the events that have come to pass but none of them seemed to notice her. The group of soldiers acted from the same hive mind, all of them led by their own terror. Seeing no point in attempting to communicate with the swarm of people, Rei rose to her feet and ran with the crowd.

The swarm of people pulsed with panic, people pushing and shoving others to get ahead of whatever made them so fearful. Rei looked back and could only see darkness as well as the figures of other soldiers running to catch up with the crowd. Rei was puzzled because she didn't believe that this many people were on this ship. Suddenly, she hears a short, animalistic sound. It was a familiar, short quack. She turned her head to the side and saw the most absurd thing. She saw a turkeyduck running on its short, stubby legs along with the crowd.

"...Mr. Quabbles?" Rei whispered.

Mr. Quabbles gave Rei a look and made a deep, guttural sound before flapping its wings and running ahead. She looked around and the people who were running past her were no longer fire nation soldiers, but common villagers. Rei was dumbfounded and slowed down to a stop. Villagers bumped into her as they ran past until Rei was thrown completely off her feet. Rei grunted and once again fell face-first into the ground. As she picked herself up onto all fours, Rei discovered she was no longer on the ship but on solid earth. The soil crumbled between her fingers and foliage crunching beneath her weight. Suddenly, a long shadow creeped up in front of her which prompted her to look up. A tall, menacing figure loomed over her, shadows masking his face. Rei immediately leaned backwards away from the threat whilst still being on the ground.

"Who are you?" Rei yelled. "Leave me alone!"

The figure leaned forward, revealing a face Rei instantly recognized as belonging to Zhao. He bore a sickening, twisted grin that made Rei's stomach churl. His armor gleamed in the firelight of her beloved village blazing in the background, casting shadows across Zhao's already menacing face. He had his hands clasped behind his back, giving way to his militaristic posture and overall mightier-than-thou presence. He took a step forward, which Rei reacted to by scooching backwards on the ground. She leaned as far back as she could, desperately trying to put as much space between her and Zhao.

"Oh, you didn't think you'd truly get away from me, did you?" He said in a dangerously silky voice.

Zhao reached out towards Rei, who swiped her arm in a flurry of motion from side-to-side as she scooched even further away from the commander. "No! Get away from me!" She screamed.

"You will never escape...:" Zhao replied, reaching further towards Rei.

Rei quickly grabbed some dirt and threw it up at Zhao's face, predominantly at his eyes. The man grabbed his face and hissed in pain. Rei took her chance to jump up to her feet and bolted away from Zhao. She could hear him yell curses from behind, shouting that he would find her again. Her feet stomped on the ground, crunching the fallen foliage as she sprinted. It was clear that she was going against the flow of fleeing villagers as they ran towards her but she dodged them all, running as fast as she possibly could. Her heart pounded fiercely in her ears, drowning out the villagers' screams and the blazing of fire with her own fear. The more villagers that passed by her however, the less villagers Rei recognized. The later villagers were dressed in increasingly foreign clothes, ranging in colors from bright orange to yellow and ranging in style from traditional pants and shirts to voluminous robes. Rei noticed that some of the older villagers that passed her had some pale blue markings on their bodies. Were they...airbending tattoos?

Suddenly, something bumped right into Rei. Both of them stumbled and gazed at each other. Rei stared back the person who collided with her and was entranced, almost by a mysterious magic of underlying déjà-vu. She was gazing at a young, blond girl dressed in bright orange skirts and shawl with colorful mountain flowers in her hair. The girl had a long, blue streak in her hair, giving her a somewhat kooky look. It was as if time had stood still for their encounter with each other. Her sky-blue eyes peered back into Rei's own for a brief moment, with a glimmer of slight recognition before she snapped back to the panic at hand and ran off with the rest of the fleeing villagers. Rei turned towards the young girl, who joined the tail-end of the crowd.

"No, wait!" Rei cried out.

The mysterious young girl disappeared into the setting sun along with the last of the crowd, leaving Rei shrouded in shadows. Rei reached out her arms and felt around her, unable to see anything in the pitch blackness. She called out for someone, anyone to help her. Suddenly, in the moment of uncertain darkness, a great wall of flame roared in front of Rei, knocking her backwards from sheer surprise. Leaning backwards on her palms, Rei shielded her eyes with one arm as her vision adjusts to the sudden illumination from the wall of fire. The immense heat emitting from the wall burned, as if her front side was slowly being roasted over a cooking flame. When her eyes adjusted to the light, Rei noticed that there was a shadow of a man's silhouette sitting cross-legged at the opposite side of the wall. The silhouette sat upon an elevated platform, making Rei crane her head up in order to see it. Rei slowly began to stand up, gazing upwards at the strange silhouette, who faced forward towards the endless darkness beyond the wall.

The man suddenly whipped his head in her direction with the wall of fire blazing even higher in reaction. The man pointed an arm in Rei's direction, muttering "Airbender" in a low, inhuman voice. Fire gathered at the man's arm, forming a wave of flames. Rei backed up, but not in time to get away from the vortex of fire streaming towards her. Rei crumbled to the ground, helpless, as she screamed in absolute terror.

* * *

Rei jolted upright in her bed with an audible gasp, amidst a knocking on her door. The voice on the other side announced that it was time to get up, so Rei gave a short acknowledgement before leaning sideways onto the wall beside her cot. Rei panted, trying to catch her breath from the immense fright of her dream. Sweat dripped down from her brow and back onto an already profusely damp spot on her cot as she struggled to catch her breath. _What the fuck was that all about?_ She thought, trying to make sense of the previous night's nightmare. She could understand her dreaming about the day of the raid on her village, but just about everything else baffled her beyond comprehension. Who was that girl she saw in her dream and why did she look so...familiar? And who was the man behind that wall of fire? Rei shook her head, she couldn't sit in bed all day deciphering dreams. She looked down at her palms and noticed that the wrappings had fallen off, exposing her angry burns. Her hands were painfully swollen, making it cumbersome for Rei to even take the covers off of her body.

Rei walked over to the wash basin and ran some cold water. As the basin filled, Rei examined at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and held a purple undertone, announcing to anyone who happens upon her face that she didn't wake up feeling well-rested that morning. Her skin glistened with long, sticky streaks of sweat, reflecting sunlight beaming in from the porthole beside her bed. Rei craned her neck to the side and inspected her other burn mark on her neck. The wound was healing well. The redness of the wound was receding to a concentrated area while the more recovered areas have begun to peel. The prominent thumbprint that was burnt directly gripping the base of her throat had finally faded which gave Rei a moment of satisfaction. She felt better knowing that she could look at her reflection and not be distracted by _his_ hand. What a fucking creep.

When the wash basin was filled with water, Rei bent down to soak her burnt palms. The cold water was quite soothing for the burning sensation in her hands, which made Rei moan in satisfaction. After soaking for a few minutes, Rei also took the opportunity to wash her face and other sweaty areas with a nearby wash cloth. She took extra time to make sure that her face and back were free from the gross stickiness of sweat. She dried herself off with a towel and proceeded to let her hair down and brush it. She decided that today she would wear her hair up in a ponytail with two loose sections of hair caressing her face. She was quite satisfied with her appearance this morning.

Rei looked around the room for another set of clothes, since the outfit she was wearing from the day before is now a mass of stickiness from sweat. She was almost certain there was another pair of fire nation clothes somewhere, certainly she wouldn't be given only a single pair of clothes. She saw her earth nation clothes in a heap in the corner of the room, but she didn't want to put them on and stick out from the rest of the crew. Gods knew how much she stood out already.

Rei checked in a chest that was placed at the foot of her cot, presumably standard issue for the other soldiers here and surely enough, she saw another set of clothes folded in a neat stack. She took the clothes gratefully, mentally giving herself a note that she should look for where to do laundry later on. She quickly slips out of her old outfit and put on her new clothes, which were the same red and black uniform design of the previous outfit. She liked how loose it was on her body. She never liked tight-fitting clothes anyways, they made her feel constricted. Plus, the enhancement of her curves made her feel a bit uncomfortable with the village boys sniggering from the sidelines.

Her thoughts returned to the nightmare from the night before, and of the young girl she encountered within it. She couldn't help but feel some sort of long-lost familiarity with the girl, even though she knows that she's never encountered her before in her life. The girl even shared the same crystal-blue eyes Rei has. It made Rei wonder...

Rei let the thought slide, and proceeded to wrap her palms in a new set of cloth. They felt better since the night before, but the burns were still somewhat swollen and sensitive. She was grateful that the burns were concentrated more on her palms since she could still use her fingers without exerting much pain. She would have to wait a little bit before trying to airbend again unfortunately, but she thought it was best to wait a bit anyways at least until Iroh's suspicions ceased. When her palms were all wrapped up, Rei brushed off her new clothes and took one last look in the basin mirror before stepping out of her room.

The hallway was busy with people, as one would expect. Busy crew members filled the halls on their way to their respective posts or to the mess hall for some breakfast. It seemed that everyone had somewhere specific to be this morning. Rei followed the line of people on their way to the mess hall, absently trying to decipher her nightmare. She stifled a yawn as she walked, fully knowing that she was going to be utterly exhausted the entire day. Someone bumped into her side and made her jolt, which turned out to be a smiling Kugo.

"Ay how's it going, sleepyhead?" Kugo inquired, nudging Rei's side with his elbow.

Rei was knocked off-balance from the force of Kugo's nudges, and struggled awkwardly to stand upright. "I'm ok, just tired is all." She replied.

"Aw don't worry, you'll get used to the early mornings. It's my favourite time of the day!" Kugo boomed, slapping Rei on the back.

"You're a morning person, then?" Rei responded absentmindedly.

"Naw, I'm a meal person!" Kugo laughed.

The two of them continued down the corridor with the other crew members. When they arrived at the mess hall, the room was as packed as one would expect. Rei and Kugo joined the lineup of people assembled along the wall. Rei saw that Pho-Jin was mid-way through the lineup with a small scowl on his face. Or maybe that was just...how he wore his own face. Rei wondered what it would be like to see the man smile. Judging from the surrounding crew members seated at the benches, this morning's meal would be a mushy porridge-like substance. The appearance of the food didn't seem to faze Kugo in the least, who was eagerly reaching for a bowl of the mysterious slop. As the pair got their meals, Kugo and Rei walked towards the small group of people they sat with the previous night.

Rei sat next to Pho-Jin, across from Kugo. Two other men sat with the group, one on each side of the table. Kugo seemed to be the only one who was enthusiastic about the meal set in front of them since he was eagerly stuffing his face right when he sat down. Rei said a short "hello" to Pho-Jin, who grunted in response as he continued to pick at his slop. She took a gander around the table, and focused on the two men she didn't know yet.

"So...What's your guys' story?" Rei asked the two unknown men.

"Oh!" Kugo cried, slamming his spoon into his bowl. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce you guys! Rei, this here is Stitches."

Kugo gestured to the man across from Rei, who appeared to be covered in bruises and cuts. He seemed to be in his late twenties, which was young comparatively to the rest of the crew. He had shaggy, brown hair that had bits of stray hairs sticking out in every direction. Stitches lifted his head and his brown eyes connected with hers as he nodded in Rei's direction.

"Stitches?" Rei inquired.

"That's the nickname we chose for 'im since he's always gettin' himself hurt in one way or another!" Kugo roared, pointing his spoon at the man. "This guy over here is always the first one to be frozen, burned, hit, or cut. He was even the first person in a hundred years to be blown off his feet by an airbender! I dunno whether to hide behind 'im or stay as far away as possible!"

"Hey! I haven't been struck by lightning yet!" Stitches piped up, pointing a bandaged finger.

"That shouldn't be a boast!" Kugo laughed. He then gestures to the man sitting on the other side of Pho-Jin. "And this over here is hawk, who apparently likes being in the crow's nest better than in the company of most men."

The man known as hawk gave a short nod, then went back to his mush. He had jet-black hair held back in a medium-length ponytail and a short, triangle-shaped patch of facial hair on his chin. He had dark blue eyes that resembled the stormy sea, like a seismic fury held back behind a wall of silence. Rei had to guess that he didn't speak much. The majority of the men seemed to be in their mid-to-late thirties, with Pho-Jin being the exception at being in his mid-to-late forties and Stitches.

"Your nicknames are so childish." Pho-Jin grumbled. "You fall into your alter-egos and develop such a sense of non-existent grandeur, just go by the names you were given."

Pho-Jin gathered up his dishes and walked away from the table, almost eager to get away from the conversation. _What was his problem?_ Rei wondered. She turned back to the other men at the table, who seemed unfazed by Pho-Jin's rapid retreat. Kugo turned to her with a cheeky grin.

"Ah don't mind him, he's just not a fan of the nickname we gave 'im." Kugo explained. "Ol' Sourpuss over there never really smiles."

Rei watched the older man put his dishes in the clean-up station and head towards the door, his shoulders hunched over. "But why?"

Kugo shrugged. "It's his business. If my humor isn't good enough for 'im, then that's his loss."

Stitches pipes up and asks, "What about you?"

"What about me?" Rei asks.

"Do you have any nicknames?" Stitches inquires.

Kugo slaps the table. "Yeah! What nicknames does lil' ol' Rei have?"

"Well…" Rei hesitates. "My father used to call me his little Rei of sunshine."

"That's adorable!" Stitches laughs.

Kugo points to Rei's hands. "What did the lil' Rei of sunshine to do herself, then?"

Rei almost forgot that her hands were wrapped up in cloth. She instantly retracted her hands underneath the table, hiding them from view. "Oh that. I, uh, tripped and fell on a hot pipe."

"Well how'd you manage that?" Kugo laughed. "Keep that up, and you'll be like stitches over there!"

"No one can get to _**this**_ level." Stiches gestures down from his head with his hand in a diva-esque fashion.

Kugo laughs. "You know what? You need a new nickname for us to call you. I'm gunna call you 'Fumbles', since you be fumblin' around getting hurt while exploring."

"'Fumbles'? Is that set in stone?" Rei groaned.

"Already done!" Kugo exclaimed, licking the last of his meal off his bowl. "Anyways, meal time is over so we gotta report to our posts. We'll see you around, Fumbles!"

Rei sighed and waved as the rest of the group cleaned up and left for their respective posts. Rei hangs back and takes her time in cleaning up before she follows suit. She wasn't sure where she needed to be, but she assumed that she would continue reporting to Pho-Jin for her duties for the time being. She made her way out of the mess hall and into the main corridor. It was sad that the man never smiled. Rei wondered why this might be, but decided she wouldn't pry. As she walked, she bumped into Iroh.

"Good morning Rei. I hope you slept well." Iroh greeted, smiling as usual.

"Ah, could've slept better to be honest." She replied.

"Ah, I expect those burns have made sleep a bit more difficult." Iroh observed. "Would you be free for our tea this morning?"

"Oh yeah!" Rei replied, remembering his proposition from the night before.

Iroh led Rei down the hall into the room where she was questioned the day before. The setup was the same considering the questioning she endured was more like a casual tea-time conversation. Rei and Iroh sat down on cushions at the table and Iroh poured some tea for the two of them. Rei thanked Iroh and took a generous sip of tea. This time, it smelt of pomegranates and hibiscus, which was just as delicious as the tea she had before. When the pair of them had their first sips of tea, Iroh began with pleasant conversation.

"So, how are you adapting to life on the ship?" Iroh inquired.

"Pretty good so far," She replied honestly. "The people here are nice enough, and have shown surprising hospitality to me considering the circumstances."

"That is good to hear." Iroh replied. "How are those burns?"

"They're feeling a little better, a bit more swollen though." Rei replied.

"Well, as promised, I have some ointment that should help with the healing process." Iroh said, putting a small jar onto the table.

Iroh gestured for Rei's hands, and slowly began to unwrap the cloth round them. The burns still looked red but slightly less flushed. The swelling was still prominent but not to the point of turning her hands into balloons of liquid. Iroh opened the jar and started to rub a small amount into one of Rei's hands. The ointment was cooling, which soothed her burns immensely.

"This ointment is taken from the leaves of the aloe vera plant, which has many uses." Iroh explained. "It is exceptionally useful for when treating burns. It has been particularly useful for one of the crew members here, Stitches."

"Oh I met him today." Rei replied. "I hear he's always hurting himself in one way or another."

Iroh chuckled. "That is true. I gave the man a plant for his birthday, which he seems to enjoy quite a bit."

Rei laughed. It was nice to have some casual conversation with Iroh. She knew she had to keep her guard up, but there was something about the old man's presence that made her feel at ease. She had almost forgotten about his suspicion the night before after her airbending practice. Iroh finished rubbing the ointment and wrapped her burns once more with the cloth strips. He gave her the rest of the ointment in the jar for her own uses, which she accepted gratefully.

"So…I hear you have all been at sea for two years, searching for the Avatar." Rei began, hesitantly.

"Oh yes…" Iroh said quietly. "It has been a long time to be at sea, but my nephew was determined to find the Avatar."

"Why is the prince of the fire nation out looking for the Avatar anyways?" Rei asked. "Wouldn't he be needed at home for…I dunno, prince-y stuff?"

Iroh sighed. "It is a…complicated set of circumstances…"

Before Iroh could continue, a door was knocked open and slammed against the wall. Zuko came stomping into the room, flustered as per usual. He was dressed in a long robe instead of his usual armor, which was somewhat odd for Rei to see. It was kinda amusing actually to see the young prince dressed as casually as he is now. She stifled a giggle as Zuko made his way to the table.

"Uncle! What are you doing? We don't have time to waste on having tea with the stowaway!" Zuko pushed.

"Ah my dear nephew, there is always time for a nice cup of soothing tea." Iroh replied. "Come and join us, it will do you a world of good to sit down and relax."

"And the stowaway has a name-" Rei piped up.

"I don't need any tea!" Zuko yelled. "We now know the Avatar is on Kyoshi Island, and I want to be ready for him!"

This peaked Rei's interest. "I've heard of Kyoshi. That's where Avatar Kyoshi lived there, and they have some awesome Elephant Koi fish in the bay perfect for riding!"

"I'm not interested in fish." Zuko replied darkly.

"Well you should be interested in the bigger predator that eats said koi fish." Rei retorted. "The Unagi protects the bay from invaders so if you're a fan of having a ship that still floats, it's probably best to plan ahead for that."

"Noted." Zuko growled. He returned his attention to his uncle, who was sipping the rest of his tea. "Uncle, I must be tested on more advanced sets before we arrive."

Iroh yawned and stretched out his arms. "Very well nephew. Give me a few minutes and I shall meet you outside."

With that, Zuko left as fast as he came in, leaving Rei and Iroh alone. Rei took one last sip of tea and placed her teacup back onto the table.

"Thank you for the tea, it was delicious as always." Rei smiled.

"Oh it is no problem." Iroh replied. "It is good to take time out of your day to relax and gain perspective on your life."

They both stood and bowed to each other respectfully. Iroh gestured to the door. "Feel free to look in on our little training session, before you're whisked away to your duties."

Rei nodded and followed suit. She couldn't help but feel that there was a hidden meaning within that proposition but she felt that she could use some more knowledge on bending before trying again. Who knows? Maybe she could learn to not burn herself with her own bending for goodness sakes.

* * *

 **Hello everyone! Sorry about the late update, but there has been a lot going on lately in my life. So I've decided that updating every week is just unrealistic so I figure for now I could update every few weeks or so, depending on my hectic life. For the time being, I'm going to try to make a little bank of chapters to fall back on so I can be on a more regular schedule when school starts back up again. ANYWHOSIES let me know what you think in the reviews (plz plz I crave reviews), and follow/favourite if you like what you see and I'll see you lovelies later! X**


	13. Chapter 13 - Burns and Scars

There was a cool nip in the air as Rei made her way down to the main deck along with Iroh. The two of them talked more about various topics along the way, switching from life on the ship to what kinds of tea they both enjoyed. Apparently Ginseng tea was Iroh's tea of choice. As they strolled down the corridors, Iroh would stop and say hello to the soldiers passing by on their rounds. Each soldier would smile and offer a respectful hello in return. It's become abundantly clear that Iroh was the ship's father figure. Rei was beginning to really like him.

It was also nice of the older man to offer a place to view the training session with Zuko. It gave Rei the ultimate opportunity to study how firebenders fight, and also gave her a loose idea on how to practice her airbending. She couldn't really use the techniques she witnessed her father and brother using since earthbending's hard style didn't flow well with airbending at all. Sure, airbending and firebending were two **very** different things, but it was better than nothing. The last time she witnessed Zuko practice his firebending, she noted that he would often cry out in anger or frustration as he moved, fanning the flames that would increase in size and heat. Perhaps the key to firebending for him is to be angry. No wonder the teenager was such a hothead. She casually wondered what it would be like to witness Iroh firebending, and if it was in any way similar to Zuko's method. It was strange imagining the old man angry since he was so smiley and calm all the time.

Zuko was already waiting in the middle of the main deck with his arms crossed across his chest and right foot tapping in impatience. His high-ponytail swung in the breeze, whipping to one side as he looked out towards the pair approaching him. The hairstyle still confused Rei. Why shave your head and only keep a small patch for a ponytail? It looked so abnormal. Rei just couldn't understand firenation fashion. He bore his usual red and black plate armor, which gleamed in the sunlight. If you looked past his scowl, Zuko actually looked pretty impressive.

Iroh walked up and sat down cross-legged in front of Zuko with Rei following suit. Rei looked up at Zuko, who gave her a side-eyed glance before bowing in respect to Iroh. There was a small group of fire nation soldiers standing in a row behind Zuko as well, all with their hands behind their back in an at-ease military stance. Rei scanned the row of soldiers and recognized Stitches standing at the far left end of the row, fidgeting in uneasiness. Rei raised a wrapped hand slightly in greeting. Stitches caught wind of this, and gave her a two-fingered salute and a nervous grin in response. Rei snapped back to the training at hand when she heard Iroh's voice call out to Zuko.

"Today we will be reviewing your basics and the techniques introduced to you from the previous day." Iroh began. "We will also introduce some new movements in preparation for our arrival to Kyoshi Island."

"Why must we review the basics every time we practice, Uncle?" Zuko demanded, exasperated. "I've more than mastered them, it's just a waste of time!"

"Because, Prince Zuko, the basics are the first thing benders let slip." Iroh explained firmly. "The firebending basics serves as a foundation of our skills to build upon. If your foundation is cracked and worn-down, it would not matter how much you build upon it because your foundation would collapse completely."

Zuko let out a low groan of acceptance in response. Iroh smiled and announced, "Now, let us begin."

Iroh signaled for the fire nation soldiers standing on the sidelines to move in. Each soldier assumed their offensive stances, and surrounds Zuko in a circle. Zuko let out a fiery yell and kicked his leg back. A long stream of flames shot out of his foot and dead-center into the chest of the soldier advancing behind him, which turned out to be Stitches. Apparently it was true that Stitches was always the first to be attacked in battle. Stitches was knocked backwards and toppled over a couple times before landing firmly onto his front, face-down on the deck. He laid there on the floor for a few moments before raising his arm with his hand in a thumbs-up motion, mumbling a muffled "I'm OK!".

Zuko turned to face his other opponents, who converged on his location. He countered their attacks one at a time, notably favouring his right foot to attack while his left arm blocked his opponent's attack. Rei gazed in awe at the fiery display, eagerly studying each movement as best as she could. She also felt frightened at the sight of the fire, looking back to the roaring flames that burned her beloved village of Terra to the ground. However, this display of firebending held a somewhat hypnotic effect on Rei, being unable to look away. She was jolted out of her trance by the sound of Iroh's voice.

"I see you are enjoying the demonstration so far," Iroh mused.

"Oh, yeah." Rei blinked. She turned back toward the firebending. "It's a... much different experience when the fire isn't aimed at you."

"Like any power, bending can be used for both the purposes of good or the purposes of evil. Everything depends on the user." Iroh replied, gesturing towards the combat in front of them. "Take fire for instance. Many only see its purpose for destruction and combat, but fire is also important for warmth in the cold winter months and for providing light like our Sun. Without it, the world would be enveloped in darkness."

"Well, I suppose that's true." Rei sighed.

"I expect you've met some unfriendly earthbenders in you life, have you not?" Iroh asked.

"Well, one time when I was a kid, a bully was earthbending and hit me in the head with a rock. I ran home crying to my brother, who then decided to teach me some non-bending fighting techniques to defend myself." Rei giggled. "Let's just say that the bully didn't bother me after that."

Iroh chuckled. "I assume you've kept up these fighting techniques ever since."

"Oh yeah." Rei nodded. "Being in a village where rocks would fly, you had to learn to defend yourself or else you'd be hit in the head more often than not."

Rei gazed out at the fight before her. Zuko was down to his last three opponent who circled around the young teenager. Zuko paused and looked around at his targets, waiting for the perfect time to strike. The man positioned behind him took his chance and launched a fireball in Zuko's direction, but the Prince was too fast. Zuko whipped around and dodged out of the way in the nick of time. He recuperated and fired a counter-strike fireball at his attacker. However, as his opponent blocks the attack with a firm stance, Zuko knelt down and shot a splash of fire from his foot. His opponent lost his balance and is ultimately taken down by a final fireball punch to the chest. The man positioned at Zuko's left side steps forward and launched another fireball in Zuko's direction. Zuko leaned backwards to avoid the attack and stepped his left foot backwards to stabilize himself. He then hits his opponent's arm in an upwards motion and uses his momentum to rotate himself around and kick his target in the chest, sending the man flying to the ground. The final aggressor crouched in front of Zuko and performed a deadly sweep of fire with his leg. Zuko leaps in the air and lands firmly on his feet, only to be met by another outstretched arm about to unleash fire upon him. Zuko's mastery of timing and fluid flow of bending intrigued Rei, fueling her curiosity for what she could do with her bending in time.

"How does he have such control over the fire?" Rei inquired. "How does he not burn himself on his own flames?"

"Ah, that is one of the first lessons he was taught." Iroh mused. "When a firebender first starts off, it would be a common sight to see burns all over them. The trick to avoiding this is control. Breath gives fire life, so to control the fire, we must first control our breathing. Then with time, we also learn to control our concentration, our movements, our balance. A good trick I've been taught was to imagine your fire beginning in your chest, slowly bending it up and through your arms until it reaches your hands. Then, imagine that you're not forcing a puff of fire through your skin, but leading it out like a breath."

Iroh took a deep breath and demonstrated his analogy by moving his right hand from his chest and arms to his other hand. Gently, brushed his right hand against his left and produced a small flame in his right hand. Rei gazed into the fire, feeling the warmth against her face.

"Woah..." Rei replied. "Firebending takes much more concentration than I thought."

"Yes," Iroh's tone darkened, gazing into his fire. "We must have the utmost control over the fire at all times, for it is the only element that has a life of its own. Water, earth, air, they do not move without an outside force but fire, it can burn relentlessly from only a spark." Iroh finished, extinguished his flame.

"Oh…"

Rei focused her attention back on the training, where Zuko was on his way to victory. His opponent was losing steam, but continued to charge blow after blow in Zuko's direction. Zuko's attacker extended his arm in preparation for another strike, but Zuko blocked the attack by a thrust of his forearm which knocked the man's arm away. Zuko took this opportunity to knock the man down with a crouched leg sweep. The man tripped over Zuko's leg and fell to the ground, where Zuko stood over him with an arm outstretched in the man's direction. Zuko and his opponent stared at one another for a moment before Zuko's fist relaxed into an outstretched hand and helped his opponent up.

"Excellent, Prince Zuko." Iroh began, getting up to a standing position. The older man began walking towards Zuko. "However, you are learning forward too much when you attack."

Iroh crouches into an attacking stance with one arm outstretched with his hand in a fist, while the other hand is also fisted next to his side. Zuko followed suit, reaching his arm next to Iroh's. Rei paid close attention to the demonstration, knowing that it could be very important for her to learn more about attacking stances.

"When you lean forward, it gives your enemy an opportunity to knock you off-balance…" Iroh said before grabbing Zuko's arm and pulling him forward. Zuko tripped closer towards Iroh, who was now a hand-length away from his face.

"If you give them this opportunity, your enemy would not hesitate to knock you on your back and finish you off."

Iroh pushed Zuko off his feet and sent him toppling to the ground. Rei noted that this drew a strange parallel back to the Agni Kai, where Iroh caught Commander Zhao's foot when he tried to catch Zuko off-guard with a surprise attack. Iroh had a surprising amount of strength for an older man, and knew how to use that fact to his advantage. Rei made a mental note to watch herself while she's around him, there could be more to this "old man" that meets the eye. Iroh, in the meantime, helped Zuko up from the ground and continued his explanation.

"Balance is key for the next move I will show you." Iroh continued. "It will be useful when confronting many enemies at once or if you find yourself surrounded. However it is easy to mess up and either swirl out of control, or burn yourself more than your enemies, so pay close attention."

Iroh crouched down low and spread one leg out to the side as he balanced himself on his palms and his other leg. He took a deep breath and slowly started to rotate his outstretched leg in a circular motion. He hops over his leg as it moves around his body, accelerating his speed. Gazing upon the display, Rei wasn't sure what Iroh was trying to do until she started to see sparks emitting from Iroh's loop. The sparks turned into waves of flame as Iroh accelerated further. Pretty soon, the man looked like a flaming spinning top that spun with no end. Rei felt a little motion-sick just looking at the display until Iroh finally flipped himself up onto his feet, bringing his hands up to his head and letting them go palms-down from his head to his midriff. Rei didn't fully understand why Iroh did that last movement, but she decided she would ask about that later on.

"Now, I want you to focus on your balance and going through the movements before attempting any firebending." Iroh warned. "I do not want any unnecessary injuries. Speaking of which…"

Iroh turned towards Stitches, who was being helped up by two of the fire nation soldiers. "How are you feeling today, over there?"

Stitches looked up and gave Iroh a thumbs-up. "Feeling great, General! Nothing a little aloe and some bandages won't fix!"

Stitches linked eyes with Rei and smiled as he gave her a two-fingered salute. Rei smiled and waved back at him with a wrapped hand. Even though he's been fireballed in the chest, the man seemed to be in good spirits.

"Now…" Iroh clapped his hands together. "Let us take a break and resume this training after lunch. I expect the cook should have something delicious in store for us."

The remaining fire nation soldiers lined up in front of Iroh and each bowed respectfully. Iroh bowed back and lead the crowd of people back through the housing section of the ship towards the mess hall. Rei turned to follow, but noticed that Zuko did not join the others. The young prince stayed back to continue running through the drills he had just performed. The teenager threw small fireballs into thin air, this time notably focusing on shifting his balance. Rei gazed curiously at his movements, from his stance to the flow of his arms to the way he held his head up high. He was a good firebender, that's for sure. Fire still sent shivers of fear down her spine, but Rei could see the power that hid behind the flames. That power burned in passion, passion to live, passion to love, passion to survive. Apparently Zuko wasn't satisfied yet with his skills and let out a frustrated cry as he shot fire out of his clenched fists at his side. He stomped over to the far end of the ship and leaned against its edge. He cradled his head in one hand and let out a long sigh. Rei decided to walk over and lean up against the edge of the ship beside Zuko. Zuko gave her a quick side-eyed glance and scoffed as he looked away from her. Rei didn't say a word for a few moments, sliding the two of them into an awkward silence. Rei tapped her finger on the guardrail before mustering something to say.

"You are really good at firebending, you know." Rei commented.

"Not good enough to capture the Avatar." Zuko snapped.

"The Avatar? _Master_ of all the elements?" Rei asked, raising an eyebrow. "It would take a very powerful bender to capture him, let alone hold his own in a battle against him. You've done both things before, so that's quite the accomplishment. Shouldn't you be in the fire nation in a palace instead of a boat in the middle of nowhere?"

Rei noticed Zuko's fists clench until she could see the whites of his knuckles. Zuko's face contorted into a mixed expression of anger and…pain. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Ok fine, I get the message." Rei looked away, whipping her ponytail to the side.

Rei resumed tapping her fingers on the metallic guardrail to fill the awkward silence. She cupped the side of her neck with her other hand, gently rubbing her burn. The burn on her neck already began to peel, which made it itchy and uncomfortable. Rubbing her burn against the rough wrappings around her palms didn't do much but helped somewhat with the peeling. Zuko slowly side-looked Rei, then back towards the sea.

"How's your burn?" He asked.

"It's fine." She replied, still rubbing her neck. "It doesn't sting anymore, it just itches."

"So Zhao did that to you?"

Rei hesitated and stopped rubbing her burn. "Yeah…It really hurt. But it's getting better, I think. Hopefully it won't scar or...anything."

Rei slowed her speaking when she realized she was talking to someone with a huge burn scar dominating the side of his face.

"...Sorry." Rei mumbled.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"I'm sorry about your burn." Zuko muttered.

"Why? You didn't do it." Rei replied. She sighed and looked out towards the sea. "You know, when I was a kid, my father would tell me not to judge people based on where they came from. He would tell me that there are good and bad people in every nation, so not all those from the fire nation were inherently bad and not all those from the earth nation were inherently good. I couldn't understand why he said that at the time considering the war going on, but now I think I'm beginning to."

Rei paused for a moment. "After I was discovered on your ship, I couldn't believe how different your ship was compared to Zhao's. I was shown unexpected kindness from such an unbelievable source. I mean, your uncle offered me _tea_ when I was found below deck. The crew even welcomed me with open arms. Now..."

Rei turned to face Zuko. "...I just wonder how you'll end up being."

Zuko eyed Rei, with an annoyed look on his face. "What?"

Rei flips around and leans her back against the guardrail. "I don't really know enough about you to form an opinion, but you have the power to decide whether or not to make good or bad choices. I just wonder what kind of life you'll choose."

Zuko didn't respond, and looked back towards the sea. Getting the message, Rei pushed off the side of the ship and started walking towards the mess hall. As she walked away, she turned back slightly and found that Zuko was looking at her. Zuko quickly turned his head away when she caught him sneaking a glance at her. Rei continued stepping away, notably with a small smile on her face. She had high hopes for the young prince, especially since he had as good a mentor as Iroh. Zuko did appear to be angry or frustrated most of the time, but at the mention of his homeland, Rei saw an unspoken sorrow or pain behind his eyes. Maybe his anger acted as a wall, separating himself from others around him. Perhaps someday soon his walls would crumble and let someone in. Whatever the case, Rei looked forward to learning more about the aloof prince in the coming days.

* * *

 **Hello my loves! Hope you guys enjoyed the latest installment of the Legend of Rei. I really wanted to accentuate on the awkwardness of the conversation between Zuko and Rei, and I hope it was satisfactory for you all! If you like what you see, please give me a positive review and follow my story so that you can be notified whenever I update :) Have a great week, my lovelies X**


	14. Chapter 14 - Music Night

The rest of the day passed by pretty quickly. Steamed fish was served for lunch instead of noodles for once, which the crew was quite excited about. Kugo didn't get as many leftovers from the others, but the man did sneak back to the cook for seconds. And thirds. Iroh joined the rest of the crew to eat, which was a nice gesture. Iroh sat in the center table in the mess hall and regaled those around him with stories and shared memories. Rei sat with her usual people on the outer edge of the crowd. Stitches sat next to Rei covered once more in new bandages, this time around his chest from the fireball he caught from Zuko. Though visibly stiff, Stitches still laughed along heartily with the others at Iroh's stories. Even the man-of-few-words himself, Hawk, emitted a slight chuckle from time to time as he picked at his fish. Zuko didn't pass through the mess hall at all, presumably too busy practicing his new firebending moves to grace everyone with his presence. Nevertheless, the mess hall was full of life and laughter that day.

The room was bustling with energy particularly since they were just over a day's cruise away from Kyoshi Island. Rei couldn't help but join in on the excitement because she was quite interested in seeing the Avatar in action. She yearned to see him in his famous "Avatar state" especially. Being the only other airbender in existence, it would be exceptional if she could learn even an ounce of knowledge from the Avatar. Even though he was just a boy of twelve, the Avatar had shown exceptional power and promise, at least according to the accounts she's overheard during the meal. So far, she's heard that the Avatar's eyes can glow and unleash an awesome bending power at will. The Avatar used this incredible power to escape from Zuko's ship when he was initially captured, much to the dismay of the young prince. Rei wondered what it would be like to witness such power. All the while, Rei also considered the possibility of escaping while the ship was docked at Kyoshi Island. As she looked around the ship in her spare time, she did notice that there was a small vessel docked inside the ship, which could act as a great escape route. However, the possibility of encountering the infamous Unagi serpent-monster was quite likely whilst escaping in a fire nation vessel. Whichever way she chooses, Rei knew she'd attempt to escape the next day.

After mealtime, Zuko wanted to practice his firebending in solitude so Rei didn't get to witness any more training for the rest of the day. Kugo and the others went off to their respective posts while Pho-Jin instructed Rei to perform trivial duties such as mopping the deck or polishing boots. Rei didn't mind all too much, but it was boring work to be sure. She spent the day working away, alone with her thoughts which was _such_ a treat.

Rei's first thoughts went back to her family in Terra. She hoped that the town recovered adequately, and that everyone was OK. She could imagine the town getting together to rebuild the buildings burnt down during the raid. Oftentimes, when a neighbor was in need of help, the entire village would come together to do their absolute best to make the situation better. One time, when one of the town widows received news of her husband's passing, the entire town came down to her house with gifts of food and hard labor to help with chores. Terra was just that kind of village. She thought once again about the slight possibility of escaping captivity once the ship arrives at Kyoshi Island. Ever since she's been taken away, Rei's many thoughts were of escape and go home but even so, she hesitates. Word of her airbending spread like wildfire and caught the attention of the fire nation in only a day, so if she returned to her village it would probably bring the fire nation right back. She can't hide her bending for much longer on this ship either, so that posed another problem. She felt as if she was in-between a hard place and a much harder place in this situation. She had to go home and make sure everyone was OK, but she knew that she couldn't stay. Now that she was an airbender, she knew that she couldn't stay in one place for very long. Now, she wouldn't be able to call someplace "home" anymore. This though filled her soul with longing and sadness, dampening her mood.

Perhaps her place is with the Avatar. Being the only two airbenders known to exist, it would probably be beneficial for Rei to be in his presence to learn more about airbending in its purest form. Sure, she practiced her airbending on the ship using firebending stances, but it felt...unnatural, odd even to use those stances. It's like playing one of those block games, trying to match the right-shaped block to the right-shaped hole. The trouble is in this sense, using firebending techniques for airbending was like trying to fit a triangle-shaped block into a circle-shaped hole. Pushing this aside, Rei hoped to get as up close-and-personal as possible to the Avatar when they arrive at Kyoshi Island. Maybe she could escape with the Avatar, who knows?

The sun had long since ended its majestic arc in the sky, being replaced by the silvery gleam of the moon by the time Rei finished with her duties. Her feet burned from tenderness as Rei padded down the narrow hallways of the ship, holding her aching back with her right hand. Weathered and worn from the long workday, all Rei wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep. However, as she walked down the narrow corridor to her room, she walked straight into Kugo and bounced off his protruding pot-belly.

"Hey there, Fumbles!" He grinned. "You look a little worn today."

"Hey Kugo," Rei replied. "Yeah, I was just on my way…"

Kugo cut Rei off. "Well dontcha worry about that! You should come to the crew's music night tonight, everyone's gonna be there!"

"Oh no, I…" Rei started.

"Apparently General Iroh will also be attending this evening as well, though he won't be performing anything due to a lack of a proper woodwinds section or something. We really do need to do something about that…" He said, scratching his beard.

"No, I don't think I'm up for that tonight…" Rei replied.

Kugo slapped Rei on the back. "Great! We'll be meeting downstairs in the furnace room in 20. Don't be late!" He laughed as he continued down the hall.

Rei's throat croaked in protest, but Kugo was already out of sight. Seeing him gone, Rei groaned and padded away towards her room. She struggled to open the heavy, metal door and fell face-first into her bed. She groaned into her pillow then laid her head on its side to stare at the wall. She wasn't in the greatest of spirits after being left to her own thoughts. She thought about blowing off the musical session, but Rei considered that it could be beneficial sit in the background and enjoy a bit of music. It could be better than just sitting by herself in the dark. Perhaps an evening of song would do something to elevate her spirits. She laid in her bed, considering it for a little bit longer before deciding "meh, why the hell not".

Rei padded down the dimly-lit staircase to the furnace room. As she made her way down the metal stairs, she could feel the air getting drier and warmer. It felt as if she was stepping into a dragon's breath, and it was suffocating. However, walking down those stairs made the muscles in her shoulders relax ever so slightly in the heat. At the foot of the stairs was a roaring furnace and a small circle of people sitting on steel drums and whatever else they could find to sit on. Amongst the shadow-shawled faces she recognized Iroh sitting at the top of the circle with Kugo, Hawk, Stitches and a few others surrounding him. Some held various musical instruments while others poured themselves drinks or snacked on flaming fire flakes. The air was charged with the plucking of strings, loud chatter and the occasional honk of brass. Iroh flashed a generous smile over his cup of tea and motioned for Rei to take the empty seat to his right.

"Rei, glad you could join us." Iroh welcomed.

"Uh…Hi." Rei replied sheepishly, giving the circle a small wave. She sat down and smoothed out her pants with her hands. Rei looked around and recognized Kugo sitting across from her in the circle, nursing a large mug in his hand. Pho-Jin sat on the opposite side facing Iroh, giving Rei a weary stare with a mug in hand. The men were passing around a jug of some sort of beverage across from Rei, alcohol presumably with soldiers. She saw Hawk sitting in a darkened corner behind Stitches, stroking his patch of facial hair absently. Stitches sat on the left of Iroh cradling a string instrument in his arms. He gave her a toothy grin, showing a chipped incisor.

"Just in time for my opening number!" Stitches held up his instrument and strummed it wildly in comedic effect.

"Please don't let it be your rendition of 'My Lady of Fire' again." Pho-Jin groaned.

"Hey! That's a beautiful sonnet of love and compassion!" Stitches retorted, wiping a fake tear from his eye. "One of the most serene sonnets I've ever played."

"Oh please, it was about you setting a girl's doll on fire as a child." Kugo chuckled.

"Alright, smart-ass. How about this," Stitches took a deep breath and strummed a chord on the guitar.

"O you landsmen and you seamen come listen to my song

It's of a trick was played on me it won't delay you long…"

The circle erupted in boo's while others threw small handfuls of fire flakes at Stitches, who used his guitar as a makeshift shield. Rei ducked out of the way of some misfired flakes that flew in her direction. Iroh looked over to Rei and chuckled at her aversion of flakey rain.

"That song's too slow!" One of the crew shouted.

"C'mon! Play something exciting!"

"Alright, alright! Don't bite my head off!" Stitches exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in surrender. "You boys want something exciting? I'll give you something exciting!"

Stitches proceeds to strum his guitar intensely, sometimes strumming so strongly that Rei thought could have sworn she saw smoke rising from the strings. Members of the crew began hooting and clapping their hands to the rhythm, clearly familiar with the tune. When he finished playing his intro, Stitches quieted his strumming and began to sing very fast with the claps of the crew.

 _"There's a neat little lass and her name is Mari-Mac_

 _And make no mistake she's the girl I'm gonna track_

 _Lots of other fellas try to get her on the back_

 _But I'm thinkin' they'll have to get up early._

 _Mari Macs mother's makin' Mari-Mac marry me…."_

Then the whole room erupted into the chorus

 _"My mother's makin' me marry Mari-Mac_

 _Well I'm gonna marry Mari cause Mari's takin' care O' me_

 _We'll all be feelin' merry when I marry Mari-Mac."_

The whole song is quite the tongue-twister. All the while, the crew were passing along a jug of liquid and generously filling their mugs. Rei chuckled and tapped her fingers along with the beat as Stitches continued on with his song. She also noticed Hawk tapping his foot along with the others. Kugo was drinking his fair share from the jug and bellowing in laughter. As she looked around the room, her eyes caught sight of Pho-Jin, who didn't share the same energy as the rest of the crew. He sipped from his mug and stared absently in Sitches's direction, clearly stuck in deep thought.

" _Wedding's on a Wednesday, everything's arranged  
Soon you'll never change your mind unless you minus change  
Of making the arrangements and feelings lots of rage  
Marriage is an awful undertaking…"_

Hawk also stared absently from a dark corner of the room, with his arms crossed across his chest. He would occasionally tap his foot with the beat, a sly grin creeping onto his face, but most of the time he kept to his own devices.

" _Sure to be a grand for grand of that affair  
Gonna be a fork and plate for every man that's there  
And I'll be a bugger if I don't get my share  
Although I may be very much mistaken…"_

Stitches continued on with his song, suddenly gaining much speed. More smoke rose from the instrument, accentuating the speed of the song. He strummed faster and faster, until all of a sudden a string snapped and whipped Stitches right in the cheek. Stitches yelped and instinctively covered his new wound with his hand. The room erupted in good-hearted laughter from other crew members. Rei brought one of her hands up to her mouth to cover her surprise.

"Ey Stitches! You just can't win, can you?" Kugo roared, spewing his drink from laughter.

"Shaddup!" Stitches retorted, rubbing his cheek. "Why is it always me?!"

Iroh chuckled. "Well, I suppose you'll have to pick up some more strings on our next market stop, along with some more woodwinds."

Iroh took a deep sip of his tea before continuing. "Now then, let's proceed to the next performance."

Iroh gestured towards a few of the crew in the circle. One held a drum between his legs, another held a wooden block and mallet in his hands. Pho-Jin appeared to snap out of his trance-like state and picked up what appeared to be a shamisen from behind his barrel. When the laughter from Stitches's unfortunate string incident, Pho-Jin started to pluck a slow melody. He closed his eyes in concentration, plucking at the strings with delicacy. Drums started accentuating the beat in the background as well as the wood block joined. Rei heard Kugo clear his throat from across the room, and raised her head in his direction as he began to sing, albeit somewhat off-tune.

 _Winter, spring, summer and fall_

 _Winter, spring, summer and fall_

 _Four seasons, four loves_

 _Four seasons, four loves…_

This song seemed familiar to Rei. She must've heard it somewhere, maybe at one of the community bonfires in the summertime. She smiled at the memory of the whole village coming together, singing songs and roasting sweet treats on the fire. The children would dance in front of the fire, some sticking their bums out to warm them up as silly kids do. Her older brother Lee would be helping her father and the other men bring scrap wood from the nearby loggers and throw the pieces onto the fire. Mayu would be taking turns dancing on different people's feet, laughing and bouncing in excitement. Rei's smile faded when she realized where she was situated, far away from home.

The rest of the circle clapped when the song ended with Rei joining in passively. Ending up feeling more homesick, Rei was just about ready to call it a night. Iroh clapped with the others then set his teacup on the floor beside his barrel.

"I can sense the end of tonight's music night is upon us," he began. "But before we adjourn for the evening, Rei, would you like to play the last song of the night?"

"Me?" Rei asked, surprised. "I… I don't think so."

"Oh come on, kiddo!" Kugo insisted.

"Yeah! I got whipped by a guitar string, you can't do any worse than me in that department." Stitches retorted.

"Only if you're comfortable. We won't force you." Said Iroh.

"Umm…" Rei paused. She did not feel like performing in front of an audience but perhaps if she did so quickly the sooner she could go back to her room. She thought back to songs from her home, where her thoughts resided. She remembered the night after her father went off to war, where she found her mother sitting by the window. She recalled that she couldn't sleep, and simply couldn't be soothed from her father's absence. Her mother took her into her arms and sang a quiet lullaby until her racing thoughts silenced themselves.

"Ok, I think I have one." The crew silenced, and stared at Rei in interest. Rei took a shaky breath and began to sing.

 _Shadows fall and hope has fled_

 _Steel your heart, the dawn will come_

 _The night is long and the path is dark_

 _Keep to the stars for one day soon_

 _The dawn will come_

 _The shephard's lost and his home is far_

 _Keep to the stars, the dawn will come_

 _The night is long and the path is dark_

 _Keep to the stars for one day soon_

 _The dawn will come_

 _Bare your blade and raise it high_

 _Stand your ground, the dawn will come_

 _The night is long and the path is dark_

 _Keep to the stars for one day soon_

 _The dawn will come_

The room was silent for a brief moment. However brief it was, uneasiness seeped through. Stitches broke the silence by clapping his hands respectfully. The rest of the crew followed suit, letting the string of claps die off after a few seconds.

Iroh clapped his hands together and stood up. "Well this was an enjoyable night!" He began. "I know we all enjoyed each other's company, but now we have to prepare for tomorrow's arrival at Kyoshi Island."

"Well goodnight gentlemen," Iroh leaned over towards Rei and winked. "And goodnight, miss Rei."

"Goodnight." Rei replied, who stood up and began walking hastily towards the stairs. Rei's thoughts snapped back to her opportunity of escape. Even though they're reclusive, Kyoshi Island is still a part of the Earth Kingdom and would help one of their own. Rei would always consider herself a part of the Earth Kingdom, air bender or not. No matter what, she would attempt to escape to freedom the next morning. Her mind was set.

...

The door to her chamber creaked open, letting a stream of torchlight leak into the room. Rei placed a hand on her aching back and leaned backwards into a long, cracking stretch. The small cracks gave her some relief from the pressure exerted onto her lower back. Rei closed the door behind her with a backwards thrust of her foot and slumped onto her cot, bobbing up and down initially when she fell. She flipped over onto her back, bathing in the pale glow of the moonlight creeping through the nearby porthole. She removed the wraps around her hands to examine her burns. To her surprise, she could see that the burns have healed immensely since the application of the aloe verra ointment Iroh gave her. There was still more healing to be done, but Rei felt that she didn't need to wrap her hands anymore. She discarded the bandages off the side of the bed and rolled over onto her side. She closed her eyes and whispered: "Sora, tomorrow we're going home."

 **Hi everyone. I know that it's been a long time since my last update, but long story short, I had a lot of shit that happened in my life along with school and stuff that prevented me from being in the mindset of writing. Things should be improving for me starting now, which will help me get into the zone for writing once again. I have many big ideas for this series, just sometimes it's hard to connect them all y'know? I've seen that we also have some new story followers over the past few months, so HELLO my lovelies 3 I will keep writing this story so don't you worry. Here's to getting back to writing! I'll see you all very soon!**

 **P.S. I used "The Dawn Will Come" from Dragon Age Inquisition since I thought it kinda fit. Also, the other song is called Mari-Mac by Great Big Sea. I was raised on the East Coast so I was around this sort of music growing up, and thought that it would be awesome to bring that into the story. Feel free to check these songs out on your own if you'd like to immerse yourself into the story even more!**


	15. Chapter 15 - Revealed

A gentle breeze flushed through the trees, whispering in Rei's ear. The sun beamed on her back, filling her with a sense of warmth and safety. She wasn't sure why she felt so secure here, standing on the edge of a grand precipice, but strangely it felt like home. Rei took a deep breath of mountainous air and expelled a sigh of satisfaction. Pondering more about it, Rei couldn't actually remember what she was doing, or how she got there. She stared into the large chasm, was filled with white fog, masking the true depth of the large divide.

A sudden low squawk to her left shook Rei from her thoughts. A large black bird perched itself on a dead juvenile tree branch, and cocked its head to the side as it stared intently at Rei. The bird's blood red eyes bore into her own as it twitched it head, unblinking. The two observed one another, not making a sound. Rei has never seen a crow with red eyes before, which made her both curious and a little wary of the bird that stared back at her. There was a glimmer of intelligence hidden behind those pools of red, as the avian stretched out its dark wings. It let out another "Caw" before it launches off the branch and dives into the precipice below, disappearing in a puff of fog.

 _Rei..._

Rei heard a distorted group of voices ring in her mind. She turned to see the source of the voices, but it seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. _Rei…_ Rei shivered at the low calls towards her, now feeling the noticeable drop in temperature around her. Her breath hung in the air in a puff of mist, shocked in place by the sudden cold. She gazed down into the foggy abyss and saw the mist swirl.

From the chasm itself, a low ghostly moan filled the fog. Rei froze in place, her heart pounding, as all around her, the fog writhed and twisted. The fog darkened, resembling black smoke, and started to assume humanoid shapes, all moaning and clawing at one another. The vaporous humanoids grew in size and began to merge into a pulsing mound. Black tendrils of smoke became grasping vines that stretched out towards Rei, becoming corporeal as they wrapped around Rei's legs, anchoring her into place. Rei let out a panicked gasp, and clawed at the tendrils to no avail. Her hands seemed to pass right through the grasping smoke and yet it appeared to hold her down. Her heartbeat grew quicker and panic started to sink into her breath. The taste of smoke stuck to her tongue with her increased breathing, making her cough and gag. She looked up from her smokey shackles and was horrified by what she saw.

The smoke swirled up to enormous size, towering over Rei. The smaller writhing shapes still clawed at the lower portion of the body, mouths agape in anger and agony, wailing as they shift. The smoke built on top of itself to make out the general outline of a terrifying human figure. Clouds of smoke were arranged to form a torso, shoulders, arms and head. The smoke entity stretched out its bloated arms, letting out a haunting moan. The smoking giant regarded Rei with its two blazing eyes, emitting a low growl and raising its right arm to point at her.

Wisps of smoke launched from the figure's arm in her direction, which stretched into hollow, wailing faces. Their clawed ethereal hands extended out to her, ready to rip and tear. The smoke hit the cliff's edge in a cushioned _thump_ and rose up, each smoky figure clawing at one another to sink their gaping maws into Rei. Rei flailed her arms around erratically in attempts to swat away the figures, but her arms passed through each figure harmlessly and did nothing to stop their advance. The ghostly figures raked their claws across her form, tearing clothing and the flesh underneath. She cried out in pain, her eyes stinging in the presence of the hazardous vapors and blurring her vision. She coughed and hacked, each breath she took feeling as if she's swallowed a red-hot iron rod. Through the whirling of smoke and clawing of flesh, Rei heard a distant, but clear voice ring in her head. It was an unfamiliar, feminine voice.

 _Beware of those you trust, who would not hesitate to rip you apart for their own gain._

The ghostly smoke echoed the voice's warning, repeatedly whispering: _Beware...Beware...Beware_. Rei continued to thrash against the tornado of smoke enclosing her vision. Just moments before her entire vision is obscured, she could see within the small gaps in the smoky forms another humanoid form. She couldn't recognize who the form belonged to, but could notice a sole blue streak in its light hair. Smoke then encapsulated her field of vision, and the world faded to black in a whirlwind of ghostly moans.

...

Rei awoke shaking and out of breath. Her sheets were twisted around her legs, presumably from thrashing around throughout the night. Her heart pounded in her chest, as if wanting to beat its way out of her ribcage. Her body was covered in cold sweat, making her skin stick to the sheets underneath her. She instinctively started coughing, still tasting the foul smoke in her lungs. She forced herself to take deep breaths, willing the coughing to cease. _I should just give up sleeping entirely_ , Rei thought grumpily.

Rei has been plagued with constant nightmares ever since the night of the raid on her village. Every night since then, dark images played on repeat in her mind, transforming her innocent dreamland into a chaotic hell. And Sora hasn't been any help in that regard, though it was the medium through which she contacted Rei in the first place. Although she gained a full night's rest, Rei felt mentally exhausted. She rubbed her eyes and lifted herself from her small cot, heading towards the wash basin. She cupped her hands and began to wash her face and hands with the water, albeit gingerly just in case her palms didn't heal as much as she had hoped. Her palms no longer throbbed or stung with the contact of water, so they were probably in the last stages of healing. She made a mental note to keep Iroh's words of wisdom in mind the next time she airbends which, if things go awry, might be today. She gently towel-dried her face and hands, turning to put on a new change of clothes. There was another pair of identical clothes in Fire Nation colors on the trunk at the foot of her cot, but she hesitated in putting them on.

They were approaching Kyoshi Island, a reclusive land of reclusive people. Avatar Kyoshi made the island her home, hence its name, and thus all of its population revered her in one way or another. The most devoted, disciplined and most agile young women of the population formed the ranks of the famed Kyoshi Warriors, who were known for their prowess with martial weapons and using their enemies' strengths against them. Pondering about their impending arrival, Rei imagined that the Kyoshi Warriors wouldn't react very well to a stranger arriving on their island in Fire Nation clothing. Rei opened the trunk and retrieved her clean Earth Kingdom clothes. One of the crew members must have cleaned them when she was performing her duties on the ship. Whoever was responsible, Rei was grateful to have her normal clothes back in order. She silently thanked her past self for managing to drag her old clothes with her when she snuck onto Zuko's ship. It was nice to have just a sliver of her old life with her on this intense journey. She slipped off her Fire Nation clothing and pulled her Earth Kingdom clothes over her form. The mixture of shades of green and brown made her feel safe, and made her think of home. She grabbed a fistful of her shirt and brought it to her nose to smell. The clothes smelled of soap and not much else to her disappointment. She was used to the smell of damp earth and leaves clinging to her clothing, though she should remember that these smells would've been washed away.

Lee's clothing always smelled like the damp forest floor, along with her father. The two of them would always be out in the forest, or out working in the mines. Every evening they would return home from a long day of work, smelling like moss and dirt. Lee first showed his apt for earthbending around the age of 10, so Rei's father took the lead in instructing him. Rei recalled that it took Lee a while to even make the smallest of rocks move. Earthbending is a difficult power to master, since its principles were based on primal determination, strength and decisiveness. There couldn't be any hesitation in an earthbender's movements or else the earth wouldn't respond to their call. Earthbenders also had to be grounded at all times, unmoveable like the earth around them. From what Lee could explain to her, earthbenders have to be able to withstand many attacks as they wait, listen and attack at the right moment. This was the principle of neutral jing, the utmost important aspect of earthbending. The whole idea of jing kinda confused Rei when she was younger, still does in fact, but she just accepted the fact that her father and Lee held this practice at their cores. Rei wondered what kind of practices Air Nomads held close to their hearts. A pledge of pacifism came to mind, but not too much was known about them considering most of them are presumed dead. _Well if they were all pacifists then no wonder they're all dead_ , Rei thought. Most of the information associated with the Air Nomads was probably lost along with them. She pondered that perhaps the supposed Avatar boy would be the only connection left in this world to the ancient Air Nomad practices.

Rei shook away her ocean of thoughts and snapped back to the task at hand: escaping the ship. She had been contemplating exactly how she would be escaping for the past little while. It seemed like just yesterday when she was formulating a plan to escape from Zhao's encampment. She chuckled at the sudden realization that she's escaped one hot pan to jump right into another, as it were. There are quite a few ideas that are swimming in her head on possible escape routes. She thought about taking the simplest route and jumping overboard once they were close enough to the island, but flashes of all the grisly Unagi-related deaths made that idea inadequate. Plus, a huge serpent monster needs equally large meals so who knows what else lives in Kyoshi's Bay. She also considered making a run for it when Zuko and his men land on the island, but she would imagine that she would be kept under a watchful eye during that time. It could be a good last-resort plan if anything went awry. Rei recalled that while exploring the ship she did discover a docking area with a small Fire Nation vessel that would be seaworthy, but she didn't know the first thing about sailing anything. But it was the only feasible idea she had at the moment, so it was as good an idea as any.

Rei gazed at herself in the mirror above the wash basin, and gently pulled the ribbon holding her hair in a messy, overnight ponytail. She was so exhausted the previous night that she forgot to let her hair down, which resulted in an unkempt puffball of knots. She grimaced as she tried to brush out the knots as best as she could. She took some small sections of hair and tied it up in her traditional half-up half-down hairstyle with her green ribbon. She also braided a front section of hair on her right. She pulled a few stay strands down to exhibit her own personal flare, determination glimmering in her eyes. Seeing her own familiar figure in the mirror made her feel normal again, before she was an airbender, before Terra burned. Her heart quivered at the thought of all that she's lost thus far on her journey, but mentally shook herself into the present. She didn't have anything worth taking with her other than what she has on so she was ready to go.

Rei slowly opened her room's heavy metal door, and peeked into the hallway. The halls were dimly lit by various oil lamps, emitting a slight reddish hue through the corridors. She look up and down the horizontal hallway around her but couldn't see anyone walking around. She quietly slipped out of the room and started heading to the bowels of the ship towards the docking area. Rei didn't want to run into Pho-Jin or Iroh, either one of them would probably ask what she's doing skulking about. Zuko would probably be too busy running about and getting prepared for his upcoming raid to be bothered with whatever she's doing.

The air around her was still, quiet except for her lonely footsteps clanking against the metal floor as she continued forward. As Rei tiptoed down the halls, she couldn't help but think of the time she spent aboard Zhao's ship. The thought-driven comparison between the two ships made the hairs on the back of Rei's neck stand on edge. Though this ship was on a significantly smaller scale, the walls of metal still retained a hollowing coldness as she went deeper down below. The cold reminded her of the chamber she was interrogated in, the drips of frigid water, the creaks and groans of the vessel. Rei's hand instinctively raised to cup where the neck burn used to be, thinking of the man who gave it to her. Just thinking of Zhao made Rei's skin crawl. She would rather jump into a pit of Boar-Q-Pines than see Zhao again. The more she thought about it, the more driven she felt to get the hell out of there. At the back of her mind, she wondered if this ship also had prison cells. She shuddered and pressed onwards, passing a few landings that marked the beginnings of new levels. One...Two...Three...Four...Five landings she passed until she met the final landing which marked the bottom floor.

When Rei reached the foot of the stairs, she was met with a long, wide hallway. The staircase ended in the middle of the hall, leaving Rei with the choice of going left or right. To the left, there stood a metal door about 50 feet away. There was a slight draft of warmth emitting from the left which already influenced Rei's preferences on where to go. To the right, there stood a large doorway past several cells that dotted the walls. Rei pondered for a moment and decided to go right, thinking that the left probably led to a boiler room or something of the like. She stepped down the serpentine corridor, now wary of the creeping feeling of being watched crawling up her neck. As she passed the cells on to her sides, she jumped at a sudden deep, grunt to her left. When her eyes darted to the source of her surprise, a hulking kimono rhino stared back at her with dark eyes. The large beast nudged its horns against the cell door as deep, guttural noises of other caged Kimono rhinos sounded in the adjacent cells. Rei tried her best to stay in the middle of the hall in avoidance of the caged rhinos and continued down.

Past the Kimono rhino cells, the corridor opened up into a large room. The room was rectangular in shape, with a smaller vessel dominating the majority of the space. It resembled a miniature version of a Fire Nation patrolling ship, with a central square cabin at the rear and pointed appendages at the bow. _Back at it again with every edge sharpened to a point_ , Rei mused. No wonder His Edginess was so angsty, surrounded by pointy things and dark red and black. To the far left from the doorway stood a large triangular gate with various overhead chains and gears. A lone lever stood at the right side of the gate, presumably the key to unlatching it. Rei tiptoed towards the small ship while she looked around, making sure that no one else would catch her unawares.

The side of the small ship was about 10-15 feet above the ground. A ladder was in view that allowed Rei to reach the top without any problem. Rei climbed up over the side of the escape vessel, sliding over onto the deck rather ungracefully with a dull thud. She wiped herself off as she rose from the deck. She gazed along the small vessel, noting that there was nothing of great importance that caught her eye on the main deck. There was no steering mechanism to be seen, so Rei had to assume that all of the necessary equipment for sailing would be inside the main cabin. Come to think of it, Rei questioned whether or not she would actually be able to sail this vessel on her own. She had absolutely no experience in mechanical sailing, nor any sailing to begin with. Her village was situated about two day's travel away from the oceans so she never had the need to familiarize herself with sea-faring techniques. Only the identification of certain medicinal and poisonous plants, and how to orient herself in the woods were essential to know growing up. Pondering more about sailing, Rei grasped the door's knob to the main cabin and turned. However, when she entered, she bumped right into another figure.

"Ack!" Rei cried, tumbling to the ground.

Rei landed right on her butt with a muffled _thump_. The only sound of surprise that the figure let out as a reaction was a brisk grunt. She looked up to the mysterious figure that knocked her over, and found herself locked in eye contact with Hawke. Hawke was slightly crouched into a defensive position. His familiar yet stormy blue eyes held back his surprise, but also kept a guarded aggression at the ready behind a wall of silence. Rei threw her arms up in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't know anyone else was here…" Rei apologized.

Hawke stopped for a moment, and relaxed his defensive stance. He leaned down and offered a calloused hand to help her up. Rei took his hand gratefully and was pulled right up facing him. Being this close to him, Rei noticed that Hawke's eyes weren't just a dark blue. His eyes held back a grayish hue, like gathering clouds ahead of a stormy sea. Looking into his eyes, Rei could almost hear the crashing of ocean waves, see the foam gathering from its churning waters. A girl could drown in those blue eyes, and it wouldn't be the worst way to go. He probably had all the ladies chasing him in his youth. By those eyes one might mistake him for being a younger man but the lines of stress on a face beaten by salty winds unveiled his true experience and age. Hawke crossed his arms across his chest, shieving a dagger at his side that Rei didn't initially notice being there, and gave her a questioning glance. _Shit_ , Rei cursed, _gotta come up with some lame-ass excuse for being here_.

"What?" Rei replied to the inaudible question, also crossing her arms across her chest. "I, uh, was bored, and wanted to... explore."

Hawke raised one black eyebrow in question, tapping his index finger on his arm. His face stayed neutral, but his eyebrow raise gave the impression of him asking, _Really?_ He still stood in the doorway of the small vessel, blocking passage into the main cabin. Damn it, why did she feel as if she was being silently interrogated by his eyes? Rei's eyes peered just over Hawke's shoulder in curiosity to see what lay beyond his form. The cabin was dark, lit only by weak candlelight. It was hard to make out any detail with the dim light, but Rei did manage to see some crumpled blankets tossed haphazardly in the corner. Rei looked back to Hawke.

"Where you sleeping in there?" Rei questioned, quirking her head slightly to the side.

Hawke answered with a meer shrug. Rei tried to get a reading from him, staring at him intently, but alas the stormy seas in his eyes surrendered no information. _Wow, when Kugo said he liked being alone he wasn't kidding,_ Rei thought. The silence from Hawke made Rei a little bit uncomfortable, it made her feel as if she was just talking to herself.

"It seems kinda lonely, doesn't it?" Rei asked. "Why don't you just sleep in the barracks? Seems more comfortable."

Hawke answered with a long stare. He finally sighs while rubbing a hand over his dark triangular goatee, and shakes his head dismissively. He reached behind and swiftly locked the door behind him, shutting Rei's possible escape route. He stepped forward, brushing past Rei and vaulted off the side of the ship. He landed on the ground with cat-like grace, barely making a sound upon impact much to Rei's surprise. He was quite light on his toes for a full grown man. Hawke stretched upwards from his landing position and waited below expectantly. Rei sighed, but didn't fight the obvious signs to leave as she gingerly climbed down the ladder. Hawke followed at her side as they approached the exit, but staying a pace or two behind her to make his escorting role apparent. Rei stayed silent alongside her companion, her mind swayed elsewhere thinking about alternate escape routes. Cross that docked ship off her list of ideas. She revisited the other plans of escape she had earlier on in the day. Jumping in the water is still a no-go. Go in there and risk messing with the Unagi? Uh, no thank you. Ugh, perhaps she'll just run for it when the time comes.

The duo exited the docking room and started to pass through the Kimono Rhino holding cells. At the end of the hall, Rei could see another figure with a medium sized sack feeding the rhinos. As the duo approached, the figure looked up and beamed a toothy, Stitches-esque grin. Stitches raised his hand in a two-fingered salute in greeting and set the sac of what appeared to be grains to the side.

"Heya Hawke!" Stitches smiled. "I was just on my way to wake you up, but I guess this one already beat me to it!"

Stitches's eyes shifted towards Rei, with a twinkle of mischief illuminating his boyish features. He grinned from ear to ear, exposing a cracked incisor which presumably was yet another tribute to his nickname. His brown eyes were scintillated with life and excitement that seemed to flood from his eyes and seep into the rest of his features. But when his gaze was steered towards Hawk, those glowing orbs of brown possessed something seemingly hidden behind a glass wall, something lacing the eyes that made the playfulness in the mahogany brown colors matte. Was it sadness? Concern? Something else? Rei couldn't tell.

"It's a little early to be exploring, isn't it?" Stitches gleamed mischievously.

Rei groaned, now knowing that she probably won't get another chance to sneak off on her own. "Yes, I just… couldn't sleep any longer is all."

Stitches's expression hardened for a moment. "Well you should stay away from this area. With the arrival onto Kyoshi and all, this place will be jammed with people and rhinos. And after being in cages so long, these rhinos want to stretch out and whip their heads around.

Stitches turned around and took his left arm out of his sleeve. He exposed a small portion of his back, with bore a long, jagged scar that extended up to his shoulder. The scar curve slightly towards his spine and extended downwards until it disappears underneath Stitches's clothing. Rei winced at the possible pain Stitches had to endure to receive a scar such as this one. Though as she continued her examination of the scar, she saw that there were other markings that dotted his landscape of flesh. Notably, there seemed to be creeping tendrils of faded pink radiating from the covered side of his back. It reminded Rei somewhat of a spider's web, with long silky trails of flesh with rifts of tightened skin. Rei wondered if Hawke could see this other scar as well but Hawke kept silent, not forming an audible opinion one way or another.

Stitches peaked his head over his shoulder. "This is what happens when you're not too careful near the rhinos."

"Fuck, that must've been painful." Rei gasped.

Stitches slipped his arm back into his sleeve, the silky pinkish tendrils slipping back behind a wall of cloth and out of view. "It hurt like hell, I can tell ya. But it's just another one to add to the collection."

Stitches leaned down and picked up the bag of grain once more. He turned to start filling the troughs for the Kimono rhinos nearest to him, who immediately started scarfing down the food before them. "Besides, I learned my lesson: Never turn your back on a Kimono rhino!"

Hawke grunted in agreement, his first contribution to the conversation at hand. _A man of few words through and through_ , Rei pondered. Her eyes wavered to Stitches's back, still curious as to the origins of the other scars that he left hidden underneath his clothing. She thought of pressing for more information ot sate her hunger for knowledge, but then decided to keep her business to herself. Hell, if she asked too many questions, maybe the others would ask her more in turn. For the time being, they seemed to not really care as much about her origins. Kugo was the only one to come to mind about backstory inquiries, but her answers seemed to satisfy his knowledge for the time being anyhow.

"How's your cheek, by the way?" Rei inquired, remembering the whip in the face Stitches received from an unforeseen guitar string.

"Oh that's nothing compared to what this rhino did to my back." Stitches replied, tapping on the cell door to his right. The rhino behind the door looked up at the disturbance to its meal, pods of grain dotting its maw. The creature's dark eyes scanned the trio, stopping on Stitches who waved gingerly to the beast, then went back to eating with a huff. Stitches turned and began filling the other troughs.

"Oi, you should get suited up for spearheading in the landing, Hawke." Stitches said over his shoulder whilst feeding the other rhinos. "You'll be behind me, apparently we'll be landing directly on the Western coast of the island instead of using the landing vessel. Something to do with the whole Unagi nonsense."

Hawk grunted in response. He crossed his arms across his chest and inclined his head down to Rei. Stitches looked back and, seeming to just remember Rei's presence, visibly jolted at his own non-perceptiveness.

"Oh! And Fumbles, you should probably go back to the main deck. Maybe Pho-Jin could find you something to do or something?"

Rei groaned. "Can I get a new nickname, please? I'm not _that_ clumsy."

Stitches chuckled. "Well I guess you'll have to do something a lil' more noteworthy to be nicknamed over, then!"

Rei groaned in protest but did not press any further into the conversation. She gave Hawke a pitiful damsel-like look but Hawke merely shrugged and gestured for Rei to continue walking towards the stairs. Rei waved her goodbyes to Stitches and continued up ahead of Hawke back to the main deck. Her's and Hawke's footsteps echoed in the cold metallic corridor as they proceeded their way upwards. The rest of the ship was finally awaking by the number of guards and crew members walking about. As she and Hawke passed each floor's platform, more and more crew members were seen bustling around and trying to get ready for the busy day ahead. Many of them were dressed up in their battle gear, donning their skull masks under their helmets and armor. The sight of the skull masks made Rei quite uneasy, reminiscent of the soldiers under Zhao's command. She unconsciously held herself a little tighter, glancing nervously at the other crew members as they passed. She looked down at the steps, deep in thought over what her next moves should be. She realized that maybe she was overthinking this whole "escape" thing anyways. She wasn't necessarily a prisoner on this ship either. She wasn't confined to a cell unlike Zhao's ship; she participated in music night last night and she performed the duties that are asked of her. Her mindset has been stuck in "escape" mode ever since she was forcibly taken from her village, so stuck in fact that she didn't realize that there could be a more logical solution to her situation.

Hawke stopped at the 3rd floor down from the ground level. Several crew members brushed past with spears in hand, so presumably this was the armory. A large figure bumped into Rei from the side, which turned out to be Kugo. She expected to see the same jovial individual she saw last night but something was off about him today. The friendly demeanor around him seemed to have vanished, having been replaced with icy determination. He bore no smile on his bushy face, but a stern scowl that warned others to keep out of his way. Rei's eyes met his for a moment and within those two orbs of darkest brown, they yielded no animosity.

"Bloody watch where yer goin'!" Kugo bellowed, heading across the threshold.

Rei was stunned for a moment,not even sure that Kugo recognized her, then turned to Hawke. "What was that about?"

Hawke shrugged once again. _Hell, is that the only thing this guy can do?_

Rei scoffed, watching Kugo waddle his way out of sight. "Is this what he's like right before a fight, then?"

Shrug.

 _Ugh…_

Hawke made gestured with his hands towards the ground floor, indicating for Rei to keep going. She took a long exhale, bubbling her lips together like a young child, nodded in acceptance. Before she moved towards the next staircase, she put one hand on her hip and the other in a faux nagging manner like a mother pestering her kid.

"Alright. Now play nice with the other kids, and don't run with your spears."

Hawke watched for a moment, a slight upward curl creeping at the corner of his lips, before shaking his head and disappearing inside the armory.

Back on her own, Rei climbed the stairs at a somewhat faster pace. Now that she's realized her folly in trying to sneak her way off of the ship, Rei decided that it would be best to try to find Iroh, or even Zuko. Iroh did say when she was first discovered that she would be with them at least until the next port so perhaps he would be willing to just let her be on her way. When the opportunity presents itself, Rei would be telling them she's leaving, not asking for permission. She's leaving this ship and she's leaving now! She couldn't think of any reason why they would want her to stay on the ship anyway. Zuko would be more than willing to be rid of her, that's for certain. Miraculously, her airbending hasn't gotten her into any trouble as of yet despite the occupational hand wounds. She hasn't practiced her airbending since she got those burns a couple of days ago, and being in the presence of other elemental benders, her power ached to be let out. It was like an insatiable addiction that demanded to be fed, no matter how much Rei didn't want to. She didn't want to push her luck in that department, so the sooner she can leave, the better.

Rei stopped once she reached the ground floor, albeit puffing a bit from the exercise. Rei supported herself on the wall for a brief moment to catch her breath. _Hell, if I can't make it up a bunch of stairs without losing my breath, then I'm in some deep shit later on_ , She scoffed to herself. The ground floor held the main housing units for the general crew members as well as the mess hall. The higher ranking crew members, such as Pho-Jin and the captain, as well as the Royal family members had their own quarters on the upper levels of the tower-esque building. Rei's stomach growled at the thought of the mess hall. Realizing that it was about breakfast time, she decided to proceed towards the source of food.

The mess hall was unusually quiet. The majority men that would usually be seated at the tables were absent, possibly getting ready for the day ahead. Only a few stragglers dotted the benches, groggily munching on bread and fruits. There was no hot meal presented, just a few large bowls of various fruits and juices as well as a few loaves of bread. Rei quickly scanned the crowd, but alas there was no sign of the kind old man nor his cranky nephew. Rei sighed, and proceeded towards the display of food. Perhaps Iroh was up in the private eating quarters she was in before, quietly sipping tea. Whatever the case, Rei stomach was in demand of food. Amongst the bowls of food lay some fruit that Rei had never seen before. There was a fruit that resembled a mix between an apple and an onion, with rough red skin. Another resembled no fruit she's ever seen before: a fleshy, pink exterior with overlapping green tips. It kinda creeped her out a bit. Thankfully, there was the familiar sight of apples to sate her appetite. She grabbed an apple and a couple of bread rolls and sat down by herself.

After a hurried breakfast, Rei brushed off the few crumbs that fell onto her clothing and traversed towards the staircase once more. She groaned at the sight of the stairs, but sucked it up and began climbing. The cooking staff held a place of honor on the first upper level, followed by the superior officers quarters on the second floor, and the Royal quarters on the third. The steering mechanics are presumably what occupies the fourth floor from what Rei could comprehend, but she's never been that far up anyways so she wouldn't know for sure. She didn't pass as many people as she did in the lower levels, though there was probably only a dozen or so people that occupy these living quarters. She approached the 3rd floor, and padded along the corridor towards the private eating quarters. She slowly creaked the sliding doors open and peered inside. There sat Iroh, exactly how she pictured he would be: quietly sipping tea. He had his eyes closed and an expression of pure peace of mind. She was kind of jealous of his expression of ease. Rei took a step inside.

"Excuse me, Iroh? Do you have a moment?" Rei asked, while stepping inside sheepishly.

Iroh opened his eyes and turned his head towards her. He bore a calm smile and replied: "Of course, Rei. Please, sit, and have some tea."

Rei smiled timidly and walked over to the table. She sat down on one of the soft cushions as Iroh took out another teacup and started to pour her some tea. Iroh pushed over the cup with a smile and Rei smiled back as she gratefully takes the cup. The tea was milky-bluish in color, which peaked Rei's curiosity. The steam that slowly rose up to her nose smelled of blue skies and mountain trails. Rei took a small sip, giving her a taste of blueberries and mountain flowers with a hint of earth. It felt like her tongue was flying amidst the mountain faces East of her village, but the earthy taste also kept her grounded. She moaned in satisfaction, making Iroh chuckle.

"This tea was a gift from a friendly trader," Iroh explained. "Called it… Oh let's see, I believe he called it 'Blue Skies tea'. It is made with blueberry root and butterfly pea, giving it the blue color and slight earthy taste."

Rei took another sip of tea. "There's some mountain flowers in here too, isn't there?"

"Ah you are correct," Iroh beamed. "There is a small amount of Bergenia flowers, only a few dried petals. These flowers grow only on the high peaks of the mountains, so it is possibly dangerous to acquire if you are not careful."

Iroh closed his eyes and took another deep sip of tea. "Apparently, it was a specialty of the airbenders long ago."

The mention of airbenders took Rei by surprise, and instantly a sip of tea went down the wrong pipe. She hacked, trying to contain her coughs but to no avail. She hacked continuously for a few moments until the fit had passed, then took in a sharp gasp of breath.

"Are you alright?" Concerned, Iroh looked at her but she waved it off, holding her hand up to her mouth.

"Sorry," She starts, expelling another cough. She waves her hand up and down by her throat. "Just went down wrong."

Iroh reached inside his robes and handed her a red handkerchief. Rei took it gratefully and wiped the spewed trails of tea off the corners of her mouth. She handed it back to Iroh, who tucked it back beneath his robes. Rei took the time to catch her breath and took one more sip of tea to clear her throat. Finally, she placed her teacup on the table and turned to face Iroh.

"I'm leaving!" Rei announced, albeit slightly gargling and perhaps a little too loudly. "Uh...I mean…When we reach Kyoshi, I'll just... hop on off and be on my way." Rei quickly recuperated.

Iroh smiled. "I had a sneaking suspicion you were going to say that, mostly by your earth kingdom colors." Iroh pointed out.

Rei fumbled the bottom of her shirt in her hands. "Yeah, figured it would be appropriate."

Iroh finished the last of his tea in a satisfying slurp. He put his teacup down and folded his hands in his lap. "Well I wish you a safe journey in the times ahead, Rei."

"So I can leave...Just like that?" Rei questioned. Apparently she _was_ overthinking her escape plans.

Iroh chuckled. "Just like that. You are not a prisoner here, more like an unexpected guest, so we would not keep you here if you did not wish it."

Rei looked down to the table, swimming in her thoughts. She pondered all the acts of kindness that Iroh made for her, and yet wondered what were his intentions behind them. She looked up and steered her gaze directly at Iroh. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Do you want me to be… mean to you?" Iroh asked, raising an eyebrow over his teacup.

"No, that's not what I meant." Rei cupped the teacup on the table in her hands. She thought for a moment before continuing. "I'm a stowaway, perfectly deserving of being thrown overboard, but you not only let me stay, but gave me tea and fed me and gave me a room. But why? What do you have to gain?"

"You think I'm being nice to you because I have something to gain?"

Rei shrugged with uncertainty. "I just don't know why you're wasting your hospitality on me is all."

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." Iroh replied, looking into her eyes. "A kind and compassionate act is often its own reward."

Rei could see the warmth emanating from within which, even from a firebender, made her feel safe. She let out a weak laugh, looking down into her empty teacup. "You're probably the only one in the world who views kindness this way."

In a time of war, kindness is either a luxury that is seldom present or often hidden within the recesses of oppression. Kindness from such an unexpected source took Rei by surprise, right from the beginning. She saw two sides of the same coin; the cruelty of Zhao and the gentle kindness of Iroh. This left her confused, feeling both safe and uncertain in the wake of her situation. She knew better than to blindly trust a gentle smile, but it made her feel warm and secure nonetheless.

"I can see that you have seen suffering in your life," Iroh began slowly. "An unfortunate effect of war. War can bring out the worst in people, but also the best if you look hard enough. It is good to make friends, wherever you go, for you never know when you'll be in need of one."

Iroh paused for a moment, looking Rei in the eyes curiously. "Though you have seen darkness, I can see that there is peace and light inside of you. If you let it out, you can change the world around you for the better."

Iroh flashed her a reassuring smile and slowly began the long process of standing up. "Now then, why don't you join me in watching one last training session?" He asked, extending a hand towards her.

Rei shrugged and graciously accepted his hand. Wow, Hawke really rubbed off on her this morning. "Well, it's not like I have anything else to do until we get there."

Iroh and Rei walked side-by-side down the long corridors and to the ground floor, all while upholding a friendly conversation. As they passed through the upper floor, Rei craned her head slightly to see if Zuko was present in his quarters. The door was sealed shut so she couldn't tell one way or another. He was probably outside waiting for Iroh impatiently. But as Iroh strolled alongside her, the duo were taking their sweet time going down the staircase. Iroh had this carefree air about him, making him seem serene and calm at all times. Rei was somewhat jealous.

Iroh and Rei made their way to the main deck where, sure enough, an irritated Zuko stood with his arms crossed. Zuko tapped his foot in annoyance as the two approached. He donned his usual dark red and black armor, though it seemed to gleam a little more proudly in the rising sunlight. His golden eyes showed a glint of determination for the day ahead. Behind him stood a line of about half a dozen soldiers, all with skull masks covering their faces. Rei's eyes darted to the soldiers, wary of their intimidating presence.

"When you said training at sunrise, I assumed you would be here at sunrise, Uncle," Zuko eyed Rei walking beside Iroh. "...Instead of chatting with the stowaway."

"Rei. My name is Rei, Ponyboy." Rei muttered, crossing her arms.

"Stop calling me that." Zuko huffed in annoyance.

"Do not fret, dear nephew, the day is still young." Iroh began, stifling a yawn. He stretched his arms over his head, cracking his back to his satisfaction before continuing. "Now then, we shall resume where we left off yesterday, though we will take the time to review your martial training. The Kyoshi warriors you will face on the island are known for their martial prowess, so we must prepare you for this."

"The only thing that matters to me is capturing the Avatar." Zuko scowled. "Fighting little girls doesn't concern me."

Rei noticeably bristled at the young prince's words. "Yeah, wouldn't it be funny if a 'little girl' put you out on your ass." Rei scoffed.

Zuko's eyes flashed as he steered his fiery gaze in Rei's direction. "Is that a warning or a challenge?"

"Prince Zuko," Iroh warned, before Rei had a chance to respond. "There is confidence, and there's recklessness. Do not confuse the two in fighting these warriors."

Zuko sighed. "Let's just get on with it then, we're wasting daylight."

"That's the spirit, nephew!" Iroh beamed. He motioned for the training soldiers to approach. "Now remember, you are focusing on deterring martial attacks."

The skull-masked soldiers took their places, surrounding the prince in a large circle. Zuko didn't move an inch from his starting position; he just watched the soldiers move into position with a side-eyed glance. His frown deepened as he gazed at his opponents. Finally, after moments of waiting, Zuko whipped his clenched fists about in a circular fashion and let out a stream of flames. Some of his opponents took a few steps back, while others tried to bend the fire with outstretched hands to their advantage. About three of the soldiers weaves te fire around their forms and straight back to Zuko, while the others tried to close in their ranks surrounding the boy. Zuko ducked down into a crouch just in time to get out of the way of the roaring fire strikes. Zuko took this opportunity to try another circular flame attack, replicating the same move that Iroh showed him the day before. Zuko extended his right leg and swept it in a flame-stricken ring. The unexpected assault to their lower halves left the soldiers unprepared, and were thrown backwards by Zuko's forceful sweep. One-by-one, Zuko targeted his opponents with precise flame punches. As soon as one would fall, Zuko would dart to the next one quickly and efficiently. It really was quite impressive. He had the speed of a flying hogmonkey.

Rei looked down to her hands, clenching and unclenching them into fists. Being so close to bending, it made her insides itch with excitement and longing. Her body yearned to show its true bending prowess, she could tell. She thought about her own bending, what it would take to be able to efficiently defend herself without just blowing one stream of air like the first time. She flexed her hands, feeling them heat up in the, huh, heat of the moment. Rei clenched her hands, closing her eyes in a huff to try to supress the urge to bend. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to watch the training today.

"REI!" A voice rang out.

Rei looked up and saw a bright ball of flames coursing its way towards her. Her eyes widened, and she gasped in surprise. She whipped her hands up towards her face to shield herself with a frightened yelp. As Rei's hands raised up, a gust of wind blew suddenly in front of her, steering the path of the fireball up and to the side. The fireball flew over Iroh's head, who ducked his head down in surprise, and up towards the far edge of the housing tower. A passing soldier on the second floor balcony, unfortunately at the wrong place at the wrong time, took the majority of the blow and fell over the railing. Fortunately for him, the now flaming soldier fell directly into a barrel of water with a sizzling hiss.

Rei looked down to her hands, then to the sea of confused faces that whipped in her direction.

"Oh shit…"

 **Hello my lovelies! Thanks for being so patient with me over the past few months! As you can see, the next segment of The Legend of Rei is here! It took a while to write this bit, considering how long it was, but there were so many details I wanted to put in here before the cliffhanger finish. Don't worry though, there won't be a 6-month wait for the next segment I promise! I believe from this point on, the story will be moving at a little faster pace as well, considering that this is around 4 episodes into the first book. Please leave a review and tell me about your thoughts.** **What do you think of the development of the side characters?** **What do you think will happen next to Rei? Stay tuned to find out! X**


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